Expect The Unexpected
by Zanessalover576
Summary: Zac and Vanessa had been dating for five years but recently broke up. What will happen when there is a surprising discovery? Will it bring the couple that were once inseparable back together?
1. Mending The Wound

It had been three years since the final installment of High School Musical had been released. Everyone had gone their separate ways and started working on new projects, including Zac and Vanessa. The couple that were once inseparable had recently decided to break it off because they were not able to see each other as often as they would like and it got in the way of their relationship, so the couple thought it was best to end it. Even though it had been hard at first, Zac and Vanessa started to move on and dove into their next project that they were working on. Vanessa was working on her new album that would be coming out at the beginning of the next year and Zac was in the middle of filming a movie. It had been a month since the couple had talked or seen each other and they both tried to keep themselves busy.

"Stella, let's go! I have to be at the studio in an hour" Vanessa yelled up the stairs of her parents' home.

"I'm coming, I'm coming" Stella said as she walked down the stairs.

The sisters walked out of the house and got into the car. Vanessa pulled out of the driveway and started driving to the recording studio.

"What are you doing today besides writing new music?" Stella asked.

"That's all I am doing. That will take up my whole day. I want this album to be perfect and allow me to show my fans that I grew up" Vanessa said.

"No dates?" Stella asked.

Vanessa stopped her car at the red light and looked at her little sister.

"No" Vanessa said breathlessly.

"Why don't you try and call him Van? I'm sure he will want to talk to you. You guys did say that you were going to be friends right?" Stella asked.

"I'm not going to call because it's too soon. We agreed to be friends but it's just really hard to think that the man that I was with for five years is not with me anymore. I'm sure it is hard on him too" Vanessa said.

"Van, you guys need to talk. You both have talked to each other every day for the last five years. You can't just cut him off" Stella said.

"I don't want to talk about this anymore" Vanessa said as she parked her car.

The two sisters got out of the car.

"He still loves you and I know that you still love him too" Stella said.

Vanessa ignored Stella and walked into the studio. Meanwhile in New York, Zac was working on his latest project. He had thrown himself into working on his new film after he and Vanessa broke up. Zac was driving his car to his hotel when his phone rang. He looked at the caller ID and it read Stella Bella, Zac's nickname that he had given Stella when he and Vanessa had first started dating. Zac took a deep breath and answered the call.

"Hey Stellz" Zac said.

"Zaccy, when are you coming home? I miss you" Stella said.

Zac smiled at his "little sister's" statement.

"I miss you too. What's been going on?" Zac asked.

"You didn't answer my question Zaccy" Stella said.

Zac sighed.

"I don't know when I am coming home. Is everything okay?" Zac asked.

"I need your help" Stella said.

"With what?" Zac asked.

"With my sister. Zac, she doesn't even want to talk about you at all" Stella said.

Zac parked his car and sat in the car. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

"Stella, Van and I just need some time to adjust okay? I know it's hard to watch but it's" Zac stopped.

"It's for the best. I know. But you still love her right?" Stella asked.

That's when Zac started to break down. Tears filled his eyes as he thought about not being with Vanessa. He sniffled and wiped his tears away.

"Yeah I do. I love Van very much and I love you very much too Stella. I don't want you to stress out about Van and I okay?" Zac said.

"I love you too. I'm going to stress out about it because you are family Zac. You aren't just some random guy that Vanessa dated. I have known you since I was eight" Stella said.

Zac smiled.

"I know. I watched you grow into an amazing young woman Stella" Zac said as he reflected on the eight years that he had known Vanessa.

"Then can you come home please? Just try and talk to her" Stella said.

"Stella, it's not that simple" Zac said.

"Why not? You said you love her" Stella said.

"I did say that. But it wasn't the easiest break up" Zac said.

"Can you just try? For me? Your little sister whom you love so much" Stella said.

Zac smiled at Stella's concern about his and Vanessa's relationship.

"When I come home, I will try and talk to her okay?" Zac said.

"Okay, thank you" Stella said.

"Is there anything else on your mind?" Zac asked.

"No. But when are you coming home seriously?" Stella asked.

"Are you anxious to see what is going to happen?" Zac asked.

"A little, but I want to see you too. I feel like I haven't seen you in forever" Stella said.

Zac smiled.

"I come home next week. Hey, Stella I have to go but I will talk to you when I get home okay?" Zac said.

"Okay, Love you Zac" Stella said.

"I love you too Stella. Be good" Zac said.

I will, don't worry" Stella said.

Zac hung up the phone and smiled. He shook his head and got out of the car. Later that night, Vanessa walked into her parent's house and saw Stella in the kitchen.

"What are you up to?" Vanessa asked.

"Nothing, have you talked to Zac yet?" Stella asked.

Vanessa looked at Stella and shook her head.

"Stella, just stop" Vanessa said.

"Why won't you admit that you still love him Van?! Did you ever think that maybe he still loved you too? Or the fact that it kills me that I have to watch you both be miserable every day?!" Stella yelled.

Vanessa stood in the kitchen in complete shock. She had never heard Stella get upset like that in her whole life. Stella ran upstairs and slammed her door. Vanessa had tears that were threatening to fall. She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down. Vanessa walked upstairs and saw Stella's door closed still. She knocked on the door politely.

"Stella, can I talk to you for a minute?" Vanessa asked.

Stella opened the door. Her eyes were bloodshot red from crying. Vanessa opened her arms and Stella walked into them. The two sisters walked into Stella's room and sat down on her bed.

"Stella, I do still love Zac and I know that this whole thing has been hard on you too. But, we couldn't do it anymore Stellz. I couldn't deal with him being gone for long periods of time and then coming back for a day and then leaving the next. We just grew apart. I didn't want to my relationship with my boyfriend to be only phone calls and texts. I wanted to see him every day. He would have left me anyway because of the baby" Vanessa cried.

Stella's eyes widened.

"Baby? You mean you are-"Stella started.

Vanessa nodded and just cried. Stella hugged her sister.

"Have you talked to him?" Vanessa asked.

"Yeah I talked to him earlier. He loves you Van, he really does" Stella said.

"I know, but I don't want to hold him back especially now that there is a baby in the picture" Vanessa said.

"Does he know?" Stella asked.

Vanessa shook her head.

"No. I don't know how to tell him" Vanessa said.

"He told me that he was going to come home next week" Stella said.

Vanessa nodded.

"I will talk to him then and we could figure out everything" Vanessa said.

"Are you going to keep it?" Stella asked.

"Of course, this is our baby. Even though, I just found out, I already have become attached to it" Vanessa said putting her hand on her stomach.

Stella nodded. The rest of the day, the two sisters relaxed around the house. A week later, Zac came home from New York. He was at his home in Los Angeles when his phone rang.

"Hello?" Zac answered.

"Zaccy" Stella said.

Zac smiled.

"Hey Stella, how's it going?" Zac asked.

Alright, when are you going to visit and talk to Van?" Stella asked.

Zac smiled.

"I think I am going to stop by tonight. Is that okay?" Zac asked.

"Yeah that's fine" Stella said.

"Did you ask Van if it was okay if I could come and talk to her?" Zac asked.

"Yeah, she said it was fine" Stella said.

"Okay, then I will see you later" Zac said.

"Alright, see you" Stella said.

Zac hung up the phone. That night, Zac got ready to go to Vanessa's. He picked up his keys and wallet and opened the door and was shocked to see Vanessa standing at his door.

"Van? Vanessa, what are you doing here?" Zac asked stunned.

Vanessa looked at Zac with tears in her eyes.

"I'm pregnant" Vanessa simply.

Zac looked at Vanessa and felt tears building up in his eyes.

"Is it mine?" Zac asked.

Vanessa nodded. Zac took a deep breath and sniffled.

"Come in, let's talk" Zac said.

Vanessa walked into Zac's house and went into the living room and sat down. Zac sat down in front of her.

"I'm sorry for everything" Vanessa choked.

"Vanessa, don't apologize. It wasn't anyone's fault okay? Things just happen. We grew apart" Zac said.

Vanessa sniffled.

"You don't have to be in the baby's life if you don't want to. I just thought you should know" Vanessa said.

"Hey, look at me Van" Zac said softly.

Vanessa looked at Zac.

"I want to be in the baby's life" Zac said.

Vanessa nodded.

"Well, I think I should go. I will talk to you later about details" Vanessa said.

"Okay" Zac said.

Vanessa got up and left the house. She got into her car and cried. She had never felt so scared in her life. Vanessa drove home with tears in her eyes. She parked her car and got out and walked into her house. Stella looked at her sister and saw the tears in her eyes.

"What happened Van?" Stella asked.

"I told him about the baby" Vanessa cried.

"What did he say?" Stella asked.

"He wants to be in the baby's life" Vanessa said.

"That's great Van. Are you two back together?" Stella asked.

"No, we haven't talked about it" Vanessa said.

"Are you glad you told him?" Stella asked.

Vanessa nodded.

"He deserved to know" Vanessa said.

"Yeah, do you think you guys are going to get back together?" Stella asked.

"I don't know Stellz. We need to take one thing at a time. The baby is our priority right now" Vanessa said.

Stella nodded. A couple weeks later, Vanessa called Zac to try to work out some of the baby details.

"Hey" Zac said.

"Hey" Vanessa said.

"What's going on?" Zac asked.

"Can you come over so we can talk about the baby?" Vanessa asked.

"Sure, I will be there in five" Zac said.

"Okay" Vanessa said.

Vanessa hung up and sighed. She put her hand on her hand on her flat stomach. Five minutes later, the doorbell rang. Vanessa walked to the front door and opened the door.

"Hey, come in" Vanessa said.

"Hey" Zac said walking into the house.

Zac and Vanessa walked into the living room and sat down.

"How are you feeling?" Zac asked.

"Crappy, but I am dealing. My first ultrasound is tomorrow and I was wondering if you wanted to go. You don't have to" Vanessa said.

"Van, it's fine. I want to go. I want to see my child, our child" Zac said.

Vanessa smiled slightly. She liked the sound of that.

"Okay. It's at ten" Vanessa said.

"Okay, do you know how far along you are?" Zac asked.

"I'm a month and a half along" Vanessa said.

Zac smiled.

"The night I came home from Australia?" Zac asked.

Vanessa nodded.

"That was a good night" Zac said.

"Yeah, one of the best" Vanessa said softly.

"Well, I guess I will see you tomorrow then" Zac said.

Vanessa nodded.

"Okay" Vanessa said.

Zac left the house. Vanessa smiled to herself.

"Your daddy is crazy baby" Vanessa said.

The rest of the night Vanessa and Zac relaxed in their own homes. They couldn't believe that they were going to be parents in seven and a half months.


	2. Confessions

The next morning, Vanessa woke up and walked to the bathroom where she regurgitated the remains of her stomach. After she finished, she walked to the sink and brushed her teeth. She then put some light makeup on and got dressed. Vanessa walked downstairs and went into the kitchen and ate breakfast. As she was putting her dishes in the dishwasher, the doorbell rang. Vanessa walked to the door and opened it.

"Hey, are you ready to go?" Zac asked.

"Yeah, let me get my purse" Vanessa said picking up her purse and walking out the door.

Zac and Vanessa got into the car. Zac started driving and occasionally looked at Vanessa.

"Are you excited to see the baby?" Zac asked starting the conversation.

"Yeah, I can't wait. I hope it's healthy" Vanessa said.

Zac smiled.

"Well, I know it will be healthy because you are one of the healthiest people I know. You don't have to worry about that" Zac said.

Vanessa smiled.

"Yeah I guess. Are you excited?" Vanessa asked.

"Yeah, I can't wait to see what it looks like" Zac said.

"Are you scared?" Vanessa asked.

Zac took a deep breath and looked at Vanessa.

"Yeah, I'm petrified. Are you?" Zac asked.

Vanessa nodded.

"I'm scared of it all. I am by myself in all of this-"Vanessa started.

Zac's jaw tensed when Vanessa said that.

"Hey, you are not by yourself. I'm here" Zac interrupted.

"I'm sorry" Vanessa said looking down.

Zac relaxed his jaw and sighed. He felt bad that he snapped at her but he felt hurt by their breakup still.

"Van, I didn't mean it like that" Zac said softly.

"I don't want to talk about this anymore right now okay?" Vanessa said.

"Okay, but Van please don't shut me out. I know you better than anyone else and I know that's what you are doing" Zac said.

"Let's just talk about it later Zac" Vanessa said.

"Okay" Zac said.

Zac drove into the parking lot of Vanessa's obstetrician's office. He parked his car and the two adults got out and walked into the office. Vanessa signed herself in and sat next to Zac. A couple minutes later, a nurse who had blonde long hair and who was about twenty five came into the room with a file.

"Vanessa Hudgens?" the nurse called.

Vanessa and Zac stood up and followed the nurse into a room where Vanessa's vitals were taken. They then were escorted into an exam room.

"Vanessa please change into this gown and Dr. Todd will be in shortly" the nurse said.

"Okay, thanks" Vanessa said.

The nurse left the room. Zac looked at Vanessa.

"Do you want me to step out?" Zac asked.

"You got me pregnant and we were together for five years. You can stay" Vanessa said.

Zac nodded. Vanessa quickly changed into the gown and sat on the exam table.

"Are you feeling okay?" Zac asked.

"I threw up this morning" Vanessa said.

Zac sighed and looked at Vanessa.

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?" Zac asked.

"I didn't think you would want to know that" Vanessa said.

"Van, whether we are together or not, we are having a child together. I want to know things like that. I still care about you" Zac said.

"Let's not talk about our relationship status here please. We will talk when we get back to my house" Vanessa said.

"Okay" Zac said.

There was a knock on the door and a young woman with dark long hair who was probably about forty-five came into the room.

"Hi Vanessa, who is this?" Dr. Todd asked motioning to Zac.

"This is the father of the baby, Zac" Vanessa said.

"Hi Zac, nice to meet you" Dr. Todd said shaking Zac's hand.

"Nice to meet you too" Zac said.

Dr. Todd looked at Vanessa and smiled.

"Let's take a look and see how the baby is doing today" Dr. Todd said.

"Okay" Vanessa said.

Vanessa lied back on the bed and lifted the gown above her stomach. Zac looked at Vanessa nervously. Dr. Todd turned on the ultrasound and waited until it heated up. After it heated, Dr. Todd took a bottle of gel and squeezed some of the product onto Vanessa's flat stomach. She then took a wand and started moving the gel around Vanessa's stomach. Dr. Todd looked at the screen and moved the wand around Vanessa's stomach and stopped.

"There's your baby" Dr. Todd said pointing to the screen.

Zac smiled and tears ran down his cheeks as he looked at the screen. Vanessa looked at Zac and smiled.

"Is daddy a little overwhelmed?" Dr. Todd asked.

Zac cleared his throat.

"A little bit. Thanks for allowing me to come with you Van" Zac said.

Vanessa smiled.

"It's your baby. I wouldn't keep that from you" Vanessa said.

"Is the baby healthy?" Zac asked.

"Yes, the baby looks very healthy and not in distress. Vanessa is taking good care of it" Dr. Todd said.

"I would never think she wouldn't" Zac said.

Vanessa smiled.

"Vanessa I need to examine you. Zac, do you want to step out or are you okay?" Dr. Todd asked.

Zac looked at Vanessa.

"Do you want me to stay?" Zac asked.

Vanessa nodded.

"Okay, then I am staying" Zac said.

"Alright" Dr. Todd said.

Vanessa spread her legs apart and took a deep breath. Dr. Todd took her place at the end of the bed.

"Vanessa, take a deep breath in for me" Dr. Todd said.

Vanessa took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Dr. Todd examined Vanessa and then came back up and smiled.

"Everything looks fine. I will go print these pictures for you and you will be free to go" Dr. Todd said.

"Thank you" Vanessa said.

Dr. Todd left the room. Vanessa looked at Zac.

"Are you freaked out?" Vanessa asked as she changed back into her clothes.

"A little bit. But that was to be expected. Are you?" Zac asked.

"I should be used to it but I'm not. What did you think of the baby?" Vanessa asked.

"Small. But it's going to get bigger eventually" Zac said.

"Yeah" Vanessa said.

There was a knock on the door and Dr. Todd came into the room.

"Here are the pictures and I will see you in a month" Dr. Todd said handing the pictures to Vanessa.

Vanessa and Zac walked out of the exam room and left the office. They got into the car and looked at each other.

"So where are we going?" Zac asked.

"My house" Vanessa said.

"Okay" Zac said.

Zac drove to Vanessa's house and parked his car. The two adults got out of the car and walked into the house.

"So do you want to talk about us?" Zac asked.

"Okay" Vanessa said walking into the living room.

Zac and Vanessa sat down in the living room and looked at each other.

"Van, I never meant to hurt you. If I knew that I was hurting you when I would leave, I wouldn't have gone" Zac said.

"I just felt like you didn't care anymore Zac. I felt like just because we have been together for five years it would just be whatever when you came home or left to go somewhere. I didn't feel like I was part of the picture anymore. I didn't feel like you loved me" Vanessa said tearing up.

"Van, come here" Zac said.

Vanessa got off the couch and went over to the chair that Zac was sitting on. He motioned for her to sit down on his lap and she sat down. Zac wrapped his arm around Vanessa's waist.

"I care so much about you Van. I love you so much it hurts. Every time I would leave it killed me. I didn't want to have to be in a different state or country. I wanted to be with you. When I would come home, I didn't know what to do because I was so happy to be with you. You will always be in the picture Vanessa. I'm so sorry that I made you feel like you weren't" Zac said.

Vanessa sniffled and just cried.

"Hey, don't cry. I hate when you cry because it makes me cry" Zac said wiping her tears away.

"So you never stopped loving me?" Vanessa asked.

"I would be dead if I stopped loving you Vanessa Hudgens. I'm not even kidding" Zac said.

Vanessa smiled tearfully.

"I love you too but I am just really scared Zac. I'm petrified. We have a baby now and I don't know what is going to happen. I don't want us to break up again or be at that the point that were at. I don't know what to do" Vanessa said.

"Baby, listen to me okay? There is no where I would rather be than right here with you. As cheesy as it sounds, that's how I feel. You and this baby are my life. I am going to slow down on work and try to stay close to home so I can be with you and the baby. We can work on the distance stuff when we need to. But I love you so much Van and I could never see my life without you" Zac said.

Vanessa nodded.

"I love you too Zac" Vanessa said.

"So what are we going to do? It's your call" Zac said.

"I want to be with you Zac forever" Vanessa said.

Zac smiled and wiped a tear that was falling from Vanessa's eyes away.

"I want to be with your forever too. So I guess this means we are back together?" Zac asked.

Vanessa nodded. Zac looked at Vanessa smiled.

"There is something that I have wanted to do for the last month" Zac said.

Vanessa looked at Zac confused. Zac crashed his lips onto Vanessa's. Vanessa kissed Zac passionately and put her hand on his cheek. Zac pulled back and moved a stray hair away from Vanessa's face.

"I love you" Zac said.

"I love you too" Vanessa said.

"So, what are we going to tell our parents?" Vanessa asked.

"We will tell them that we are back together. Does Stella know?" Zac asked.

"No. She was so upset that I wouldn't talk to you and try to work things out" Vanessa said.

"She was just worried about you. She knew that you were upset" Zac said.

Vanessa nodded.

"Are you happy about the baby?" Vanessa asked.

Zac nodded.

"Even though it wasn't planned, I am really happy" Zac said.

"Okay. Do you want to go over to my parents house and tell them and see Stella?" Vanessa asked.

"Sure" Zac said.

"Okay, let's go" Vanessa said.

Zac and Vanessa left the house. Vanessa drove to her parents home and parked her car. There were hoards of paparazzi surrounding the car.

"Wait in the car" Zac said.

Zac got out of the car and walked through the paparazzi and went to Vanessa's side. He opened the door and helped her get out. The couple entwined their fingers together and walked into Vanessa's parents home.

"Stella?" Vanessa called up the stairs.

"What?" Stella answered.

"Come downstairs" Vanessa said.

Stella walked downstairs and saw a sight that she thought she would never see again.

"Zac attack!" Stella said running into Zac's arms.

"Hey you, how are you?" Zac asked as he hugged Stella.

"I'm doing okay. How are you?" Stella asked.

"I'm good. We just saw the baby" Zac said.

"Oh. So are you back together? Please say yes" Stella said.

Zac wrapped his arm around Vanessa's waist.

"We are back together" Vanessa said.

Stella smiled.

"I'm so happy" Stella said.

Vanessa and Zac smiled.

"So what does the baby look like?" Stella asked.

"It's really small. But it's going to get bigger. We couldn't really see much because it was so small" Vanessa said.

Gina and Greg Hudgens opened the front door and were stunned when they saw Zac standing in their living room.

"Zac? What are you doing here?" Gina asked.

"Mom, we have something to tell you" Vanessa said entwining her fingers with Zac's.

"What is it?" Gina asked.

"I'm pregnant and Zac and I got back together" Vanessa said.

Gina looked at her husband and then at the couple.

"I'm in complete shock, but I am happy for you guys" Gina said.

Greg Hudgens agreed with his wife and shook Zac's hand. The rest of the day, the Hudgens family and Zac celebrated the new addition to their family and that Zac was back in the picture.


	3. I Do It Because I Love You

The next couple of weeks, Vanessa had been feeling horrible. The morning sickness had arrived with full force and showing no signs of stopping. Zac had been staying with Vanessa and was currently trying to sell his home. One morning, Vanessa woke up and dragged herself to the bathroom and kneeled down in front of the toilet and released the remains of her stomach. Zac woke up when he heard a noise coming from the bathroom. He immediately got up and walked quickly to the bathroom and kneeled down next to Vanessa. Zac rubbed Vanessa's back soothingly and kissed her head.

"Everything is okay Van. Just relax" Zac said.

Vanessa continued to regurgitate the remains of her stomach until she eventually stopped ten minutes later. Vanessa backed away from the toilet and wiped the tears that were running down her face.

"How are you feeling today?" Zac asked.

"Crappy" Vanessa said.

"Do you want me to make you some tea?" Zac asked.

Vanessa shook her head and stood up. She walked to the sink and brushed her teeth. Vanessa then went back to where Zac was sitting on the bathroom floor and sat next to him and leaned her head against his shoulder.

"Is there anything you want me to do?" Zac asked.

"Just stay with me" Vanessa said.

"Okay" Zac said.

Vanessa and Zac got up from the bathroom floor and walked into the bedroom. Vanessa got back into bed and closed her eyes slowly. Zac kissed her head softly.

"I love you" Zac said.

"I love you too" Vanessa mumbled.

"Do you want me to let you sleep?" Zac asked.

Vanessa nodded.

"Okay, I will be downstairs if you need anything" Zac said.

Vanessa nodded sleepily. Zac walked out of the room and went downstairs. He picked up his phone and dialed his mother's number.

"Hello?" Starla answered.

"Hi mom" Zac said.

"Hi Zac, how are you?" Starla asked her eldest son.

"I'm doing okay. I'm back in LA for a little while so I have been relaxing" Zac said.

"That's good honey. Have you talked to Vanessa at all?" Starla asked.

Zac's eyes widened when he realized that he hadn't told his mother about him and Vanessa getting back together or that Vanessa was pregnant.

"Uh yeah. We have talked" Zac said.

"What's wrong Zac?" Starla asked sensing that something was wrong.

Zac sighed.

"Vanessa and I got back together and she's pregnant" Zac said nervously.

"She's pregnant? Is it your baby?" Starla asked.

"Yes mom" Zac said.

"Wow, I'm in shock" Starla said.

"Don't be upset mom" Zac said.

Starla sighed.

"Zac, I'm not upset. I wish you guys would have gotten married before having a baby. But there isn't anything we can do" Starla said.

Zac took a deep breath.

"It wasn't planned. I didn't even know until a couple weeks ago. I've been staying at her house and I am selling my house" Zac said.

"I'm glad you are doing the right thing Zac. I have to go but tell Vanessa I love her and congratulations" Starla said.

"I will" Zac said.

"I love you Zac" Starla said.

"I love you too mom" Zac said.

Zac hung up the phone and sighed. He rubbed his hands over his face. Zac walked upstairs and went into the bedroom and saw Vanessa open her eyes and turn over in bed.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" Zac asked as he moved the hair that was covering Vanessa's face behind her ear.

"I feel okay. I'm just tired" Vanessa said.

Zac leaned in and kissed Vanessa's lips softly. Vanessa pulled back slowly.

"I love you" Zac said.

"I love you too" Vanessa said.

"I just told my mom the news" Zac said.

Zac lied down next to Vanessa and put his arm around her. Vanessa put her head on Zac's chest.

"What did she say?" Vanessa asked.

"She was a little shocked but is accepting it. She told me to tell you that she loves you" Zac said.

"Was she upset?" Vanessa asked.

"No and even if she was, you don't need to worry about that okay? The only thing that should matter is what we think about it" Zac said.

"What part did you tell her?" Vanessa asked.

"I told her that we are back together and that you are pregnant" Zac said.

"She probably wasn't too happy about the pregnancy part" Vanessa said.

"Van, don't worry about it okay?" Zac said.

Vanessa nodded.

"Maybe I should drive up to San Luis" Vanessa said.

"Baby, no" Zac said as he played with her hair.

"Zac, just let me talk to her. Maybe I can figure out why she feels the way she does. I don't want her to be upset" Vanessa said looking at her boyfriend with hurt in her eyes.

Zac sighed.

"Okay, but be careful please" Zac said.

"I will. I promise" Vanessa said.

Vanessa kissed Zac's cheek softly.

"I love you" Vanessa said.

"I love you too" Zac said.

Vanessa got out of bed and got ready to go. She then walked over to Zac and kissed his lips.

"I'll be back soon" Vanessa said.

Vanessa left the house and started driving the three hour drive to San Luis Obispo. She couldn't stop thinking about Starla Efron's reaction to her pregnancy. Vanessa was pulled out her thoughts when she reached the Efron home. She parked her car and checked her makeup. Vanessa got out of the car and walked to the front door and rang the doorbell. Starla opened the door and was completely shocked when she saw Vanessa.

"Nessa" Starla said.

"Hi Starla" Vanessa said.

Starla hugged Vanessa and kissed her cheek.

"Come in" Starla said.

Vanessa walked into the house that she once spent so much time in.

"What's going on?" Starla asked.

"I just wanted to come up here and talk. I'm kind of upset that you are upset about my pregnancy" Vanessa said.

Starla's face softened.

"Vanessa-" Starla started but then was interrupted.

"No Starla. Do you know how much it hurt me when Zac told me what you said? The woman that I called my second mother didn't accept what was happening in my life, and her son's life. I'm scared to death Starla. I have no idea what I am doing. Yes, I have my family and Zac. But you were always a big part of my life. I never meant for this news to upset you" Vanessa cried.

"Vanessa, listen to me okay? I never meant to hurt you. I understand that it did hurt you. It was just shocking. I know you are scared honey. Trust me, I know. I'm sorry for reacting the way that I did" Starla said.

Vanessa just cried. Starla took Vanessa into her arms and kissed her head softly.

"I love you so much Nessa" Starla said.

"I love you too" Starla said.

Dylan walked into the living room and his mouth dropped. Starla looked at her son and smiled.

"Van" Dylan said.

Vanessa looked at her "little brother" and couldn't help but cry. Dylan walked over to Vanessa and hugged her.

"Please tell me you are back together" Dylan said.

Vanessa nodded.

"We are back together and we are having a baby" Vanessa said.

"Is it Zac's?" Dylan asked.

Vanessa sniffled and nodded.

"Yeah, it's Zac's" Vanessa said.

"So does this mean I will be an uncle?" Dylan asked.

Vanessa smiled.

"Yeah, you will be an uncle" Vanessa said.

"How are you feeling Van?" Starla asked.

"Morning sickness has been rough but other than that, nothing has happened so far" Vanessa said.

"Is Zac excited?" Starla asked.

Vanessa nodded.

"Yeah, he can't wait for him or her to be born" Vanessa said.

"What are you guys going to do when Zac has to film a movie?" Dylan asked.

"We haven't talked about that yet. We are still processing that we are having a baby. We are trying to take things one step at a time" Vanessa said.

"Are you going to find out if it's a boy or a girl?" Dylan asked.

"We haven't figured out a lot of the baby details yet, but if we decide to find out, you guys will know" Vanessa said.

"Please take care of yourself Van and tell Zac to also" Starla said.

"I will" Vanessa said.

Vanessa, Starla, and Dylan talked for a little while longer until Vanessa had to leave. Vanessa said her goodbyes and got into the car and started driving back to LA. As she was driving, Vanessa dialed Zac's number.

"Hey, how did it go?" Zac asked.

"It was emotional but everything is okay. Your mom is happy and she apologized for everything she said" Vanessa said.

"That's great baby. I'm glad everything worked out" Zac said.

"I saw Dylan and he literally almost passed out. He was shocked to see me" Vanessa said.

Zac laughed.

"The first thing that he asked me was if we were back together" Vanessa said.

"He loves you to death" Zac said.

Vanessa smiled.

"I know and I love him too" Vanessa said.

"Are you on your way home?" Zac asked.

"Yeah, I should be home in about an hour" Vanessa said.

"Okay. I will see you then. I love you Ness" Zac said.

Vanessa smiled.

"I love you too Zac" Vanessa said.

The couple hung up and Vanessa continued to drive. An hour later, Vanessa pulled into the driveway of her home and parked her car. She got out of the car and walked into the house to find it dark.

"Zac?" Vanessa called.

There was silence. Vanessa continued to walk through the house and saw a couple candles that were lit. She smiled. Whenever Vanessa had a stressful day, Zac would always try to get her to relax when she got home. Vanessa saw a note next to the candle and opened it.

_You have had a long day so I wanted to do something special for you. First thing you need to do is go upstairs and go into the bathroom. _

_Love you, _

_Zac _

Vanessa smiled. She put her purse down and walked upstairs and went into the bathroom, where she saw the bathtub steaming and rose petals floating in the water.

"Zachary David Alexander Efron, I love you" Vanessa said to herself.

Vanessa saw another note next to the tub. She opened it.

_Tonight is all about you. You deserve the world and I want to give that to you. You need to get into the tub and just relax. Don't worry about anything. After you get out, go to the bedroom and you find your next note_

_Love always, _

_Zac _

Vanessa took her clothes off and got into the steaming hot bath. She closed her eyes when she felt the water come in contact with her skin. Vanessa sighed happily and felt her body start to relax. A half an hour later, Vanessa got out of the bathtub and drained the water. She wrapped herself in a towel and walked into the bedroom, where she found a pair of Zac's boxers and one of his tank tops waiting for her, which she loved to wear to bed. Vanessa smiled and got dressed. After Vanessa got dressed, she saw another note. She opened it and read it.

_Now that you are a little more relaxed, go downstairs and walk into the kitchen. You will find the next note there_

_I love you so much, _

_Zac_

Vanessa smiled. She walked out of the bedroom and went downstairs, where she was immediately met with a heavenly aroma. Vanessa walked into the kitchen and saw the lights dimmed and Zac waiting for her at the kitchen table. She smiled and walked over to the table and sat down next to him.

"I love you" Vanessa said.

Zac smiled.

"I love you too. I wanted you to relax when you got home. I know that going up to San Luis was stressful and so I wanted to do something for you when you got back" Zac said.

Vanessa smiled and leaned over and kissed Zac's lips.

"Thank you baby. What are we eating? I'm starving" Vanessa said.

Zac chuckled.

"Well, we have my famous chicken and rice. We also have a salad to keep you and the little one healthy" Zac said.

Vanessa smiled.

"Yummy" Vanessa said.

Zac and Vanessa ate dinner.

"How are you feeling?" Zac asked.

"Bloated and tired" Vanessa said putting her hand on her stomach.

Zac smiled.

"Are you sleepy?" Zac asked.

Vanessa nodded. The couple stood up and put their dishes into the dishwasher. Zac put his arm around Vanessa and they walked upstairs. The couple got into bed. Vanessa snuggled into Zac's embrace. Zac wrapped his arms around Vanessa.

"I'm going to miss being able to be this close to you. I don't think I will be able to survive without snuggling for nine months" Vanessa said.

Zac laughed.

"We will find a way to get the snuggling in" Zac said kissing Vanessa's head softly.

Vanessa closed her eyes and sighed happily.

"I love you so much Zac" Vanessa said.

Zac smiled.

"I love you too baby girl. So much" Zac said.

"Thanks for being there for me through all of this" Vanessa said.

Zac pulled back and put his finger under Vanessa's chin and put brought it up so Vanessa was looking at him.

"I will always be here for you Van. You know that right?" Zac asked.

Vanessa nodded and yawned.

"You need to get some sleep. We will talk in the morning" Zac said.

"Okay" Vanessa said.

Vanessa leaned in and kissed Zac's lips softly. Zac pulled back and smiled.

"Good night baby" Zac said.

"Good night" Vanessa said.

That night, Vanessa fell asleep with a huge smiled on her face. She was so happy that she was with a guy like Zac, who would do anything to see her happy. Vanessa knew that he was going to be an amazing father to their baby.


	4. Talk To Me

A couple weeks later, Zac opened the front door and walked into the house and set his keys and wallet down on the table in the living room. He had went to a meeting with his publicist regarding a new movie opportunity. Zac looked around the house and didn't see Vanessa anywhere. He walked upstairs and went into the bedroom and saw his girlfriend sleeping peacefully. Zac smiled and walked over to the bed and kissed Vanessa's head softly. Vanessa had been having morning sickness every morning and night. Each time, Vanessa would be regurgitating in the bathroom for at least an hour. It had made her feel exhausted and she would end up sleeping half of the day. Zac felt helpless and wished there was something that he could do to make it easier on her. Zac walked downstairs and went into the living room and turned on the TV and started to watch a movie. An hour later, Vanessa woke up and walked downstairs, where she heard noise coming from the living room. She walked into the living room and went over to the couch where she saw Zac and sat next to him. Zac turned to her and smiled.

"How are you feeling?" Zac asked.

"Tired" Vanessa said rubbing her eyes.

"I'm sorry honey. Do you need me to do anything?" Zac asked.

Vanessa shook her head.

"No, how was your meeting?" Vanessa asked.

"It was fine. They want me to do this movie" Zac said.

"Are you going to do it?" Vanessa asked.

"I don't know. I wanted to talk to you about it first. I don't feel comfortable leaving you here for weeks while you are pregnant. If something goes wrong-" Zac started but was interrupted by Vanessa's finger on Zac's mouth.

"Baby, don't start getting worried please. It will only make me worry. I agree that we need to talk about this and I am glad you didn't give them an answer before you talked to me" Vanessa said.

Zac smiled slightly.

"I just don't want anything bad to happen while I am gone. If something happens to you or the baby I will never forgive myself" Zac said.

Vanessa smiled and kissed Zac's cheek.

"I understand. Where are you going to be filming? Did they tell you?" Vanessa asked her boyfriend.

"They want to film in Florida" Zac said.

"Okay, what do you want to do?" Vanessa asked.

"I don't know Van" Zac said.

Vanessa wrapped her arms around Zac's waist and snuggled into his chest.

"I don't want to miss out on anything" Zac said putting his hand on Vanessa's stomach that had a slight bulge.

"Do what you think is right" Vanessa said.

Zac sighed.

"The right thing to do is to not leave my pregnant girlfriend at home while I film across the country. You have to make sacrifices for the baby and so do I" Zac said.

Vanessa kissed Zac's lips softly.

"So you aren't going to do it?" Vanessa asked.

"No, it's not worth it. I need to work, yes. But you are my priority right now" Zac said.

Vanessa nodded slightly.

"I don't want you to regret your decision though" Vanessa said.

Zac put his finger under Vanessa's chin and brought it up so she was looking into his eyes.

"You and the baby are my life. I don't want to miss a thing. If I filmed this movie, I wouldn't be able to go to doctor's appointments, feel the baby kick, and deal with your cravings and mood swings that you may have. I would regret not being here to experience any of that with you" Zac said.

Vanessa's eyes filled up with tears. Zac wiped her tears away.

"I love you" Vanessa choked.

"Baby, I love you too. Don't be upset" Zac said.

Vanessa leaned her head against Zac's chest.

"I'm not. I'm just an emotional wreck" Vanessa said.

Zac smiled.

"You aren't an emotional wreck. You are pregnant. You are allowed to cry whenever you want or need to" Zac said.

Vanessa sniffled.

"I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow" Vanessa said.

"Okay, what time?" Zac asked.

"Eleven" Vanessa said.

"Okay, I wonder how big the baby is now" Zac said.

Vanessa smiled and put her hand on her stomach.

"I know. Do you want to find out the sex or do you want to wait until it's born?" Vanessa asked.

"I kind of want to find out because we can pick a name out and it will be easier to get the room ready" Zac said.

"Yeah I agree" Vanessa said.

Zac kissed Vanessa's lips softly. Vanessa pulled back slowly.

"Dylan and Stella wanted to have dinner with us tonight. Are you okay with that? I can tell them no" Zac said.

Vanessa smiled at how protective Zac was. She put her hand on his face.

"Zac, relax. I will go" Vanessa said.

Zac smiled.

"I'm freaking out a little aren't I?" Zac asked.

Vanessa giggled.

"Just a little. But I am glad you are" Vanessa said.

"I'm just trying to make you comfortable, that's all" Zac said putting his hand on her stomach.

"I know and I love you for that" Vanessa said.

"I will call Dylan and tell him" Zac said.

"Okay. Call Stella too please" Vanessa said.

"Okay" Zac said.

Zac walked downstairs and called Dylan and Stella. That night, Vanessa walked downstairs and went into the living room where Zac was sitting. She sat down next to Zac and leaned her head against her boyfriend's shoulder.

"How are you feeling?" Zac asked.

"Better" Vanessa said.

"Did you throw up again?" Zac asked.

"No" Vanessa said.

"Good" Zac said.

"Do you want a boy or a girl?" Vanessa asked randomly.

Zac smiled.

"I don't care what the sex is. All I want is a healthy baby" Zac said.

Vanessa nodded. There was a moment of silence.

"But if you got to choose, what would you want?" Vanessa asked.

Zac smiled knowing that Vanessa wasn't going to drop the subject until he answered her question.

"Every man wants a son. But I want a daughter too. I don't know what I want" Zac said.

Vanessa smiled.

"I want the baby to be a girl" Vanessa said.

"She would look exactly like you" Zac said.

"I hope so" Vanessa said.

"Come on, we have to go" Zac said taking Vanessa's hand and helping her get off the couch.

The couple left the house and drove to the restaurant where they were meeting their siblings. Zac parked his car and saw paparazzi lined up in front of the restaurant.

"Stay here" Zac said.

Vanessa looked confused.

"Okay" Vanessa said.

Zac got out of the car and went to Vanessa's side and opened her door. He helped Vanessa get out of the car and put his arm around her protectively. The couple walked through the hoards of paparazzi and went into the restaurant. They found Dylan and Stella and sat down at the their table.

"Hey, it's crazy out there" Dylan said as he shook his brother's hand.

"Yeah, I feel like it's going to get worse. How does the media even know that I'm pregnant?" Vanessa asked.

Zac, Stella, and Dylan smiled.

"Van, it's not like you are losing any weight. People are noticing" Stella said.

"So are you telling me that I am gaining weight?" Vanessa asked.

"Baby, you are pregnant. It's normal to gain weight" Zac said.

Vanessa sighed.

"Don't be upset Van. The media was going to find out sometime" Dylan said.

"Yeah, but I didn't think it was going to be this soon" Vanessa said.

The two couples ordered their food.

"So how's the baby doing?" Dylan asked.

"The baby is doing well. It's healthy" Vanessa said.

"Are you going to find out the sex?" Stella asked.

"Yeah, we just decided" Vanessa said.

"Zac, do you have any movies planned?" Stella asked.

"No. I had a meeting with my publicist and she really wanted me to do a movie but I declined because I would have to be in Florida for two months" Zac explained.

Stella smiled.

"He loves you and the baby to death" Stella said looking at her sister.

Vanessa smiled.

"I love him too. I would go crazy if he left for two months" Vanessa said.

"So would I" Zac piped in.

"When are you due?" Dylan asked.

"March 18th" Vanessa said putting her hand on her slightly swollen stomach.

"Are you scared?" Dylan asked.

"A little. But with Zac's support, I don't feel as scared" Vanessa said.

Zac smiled.

"All you need to worry about right now is keeping the baby healthy. Don't think about the birth or anything like that yet. It's too soon" Zac said.

Vanessa nodded.

"So I have a question and it may be a stretch so don't freak out. When are you going to get married?" Stella asked.

Vanessa looked at Zac. Zac looked at Vanessa and smiled.

"I don't know. We are trying to take things one step at a time. After the baby comes, we can talk about it" Vanessa explained.

Zac nodded.

"I agree. Plus, we just got back together and we are trying to work on our relationship. We don't want to jump into that so soon" Zac said.

Vanessa nodded. The food arrive and the two couples ate. They paid for their food and went their separate ways, promising each other that they would keep in touch. Zac and Vanessa got into their car and started driving home.

"It was nice to see Stella and Dylan" Vanessa said.

Zac smiled.

"Yeah, it's always fun" Zac said.

Zac pulled into the driveway and parked his car. The couple got out of the car and walked into the house. Zac and Vanessa went into the living room and sat down on the couch.

"How are you feeling?" Zac asked.

"Tired and bloated" Vanessa said putting her hand on her stomach.

Zac kissed Vanessa's forehead softly.

"Are you excited to see the baby tomorrow?" Zac asked as he put his hand on her stomach.

Vanessa nodded.

"I can't wait" Vanessa said.

Zac smiled.

"I love you" Zac said.

"I love you too. Do you think I will be a good mom?" Vanessa said.

Zac looked at Vanessa confused.

"Baby, you are going to be the best mom. You have taken care of me for three years and I haven't died" Zac joked.

Vanessa slapped Zac's chest.

"That's not funny. I'm being serious" Vanessa said.

Zac sighed.

"Van, you are going to be an amazing mother. You are the most loving and caring woman I know. Don't worry okay?" Zac said.

"I just haven't had a baby before and I'm just scared" Vanessa confessed.

Zac put his arm around Vanessa and kissed her head.

"I know you are Van. But, everything is going to be okay. You have both of our families, friends, and I if you need to talk about anything" Zac said.

Vanessa snuggled into Zac's chest and nodded.

"There is something on your mind" Zac said knowing his girlfriend.

"You know me too well" Vanessa said.

"Talk to me, Van" Zac said.

Vanessa looked down and tears ran down her face. She sniffled and looked up at her boyfriend.

"I just don't know what's going to happen. What's going to happen to us when the baby comes? What is going to happen to our careers? What if we break up? What if I can't give birth?" Vanessa cried.

"Oh baby" Zac said hugging Vanessa close.

Vanessa cried in her boyfriend's arms.

"Van look at me" Zac said.

Vanessa looked at Zac.

"Listen to me okay? Nothing is going to happen to us. Yeah, we might fight and get upset at each other but that's what is going to bring us closer together, like your pregnancy. As for work, we will have to slow down and figure out everything when it comes. We aren't going to break up again. I can't lose you again. I love you and I love our baby. I don't want to ever be apart. You are the love of my life. Lastly, you are going to be able to give birth Van. I know you can do it. I will be right next to you and holding your hand" Zac said.

Vanessa cried. Zac rubbed Vanessa's back.

"I love you" Vanessa cried.

Zac kissed Vanessa's cheek softly.

"Take a deep breath for me baby" Zac said.

Vanessa took a deep breath and released it.

"Everything is okay. Just relax" Zac said.

Vanessa nodded.

"Sorry" Vanessa said.

"Hey, don't apologize. It's okay" Zac said.

The rest of the night, the couple relaxed around the house. They couldn't wait until they could hold their baby in their arms.


	5. We Are Having A

The next morning, Vanessa woke up to a familiar wave of nausea. She got out of bed and walked quickly to the bathroom and sat down in front of the toilet and regurgitated the remains of her stomach. Zac heard Vanessa in the bathroom and jumped out of bed and went into the bathroom and kneeled down next to her. He rubbed her back soothingly and kissed her head. A few minutes later, Vanessa moved away from the toilet and leaned her back against the wall. She had tears running down her face and she took a deep breath. Zac got up and picked up a hand towel and ran some water on it. He then sat down in his original spot and rubbed the cold towel around Vanessa's face. Zac then set the towel down.

"Are you okay honey?" Zac asked.

Vanessa shook her head.

"That was the worst morning sickness ever" Vanessa said.

Zac kissed Vanessa's head softly.

"I know. We need to start getting ready to go to your appointment. When we come home, you can go back to sleep" Zac said.

Vanessa nodded. Zac stood up and helped Vanessa stand up.

"You bump grew a little bit" Zac said.

Vanessa looked into the mirror and saw her growing stomach.

"It grew a little bit. My boobs got bigger" Vanessa said as she washed her face.

"Yeah, they did" Zac said.

Vanessa brushed her teeth and rinsed her mouth. She walked over to Zac and kissed his lips softly.

" I love you" Vanessa said.

"I love you too baby girl" Zac said.

"Are you ready to go?" Vanessa asked.

"Yeah" Zac said.

Vanessa put on a sweatshirt and put the hood over her head. She then took Zac's hand and the couple walked out of the house. The couple got into the car and started driving. Zac looked at Vanessa and entwined their fingers.

"So are we going to find out the gender today?" Zac asked.

Vanessa nodded and smiled.

"Are you excited?" Vanessa asked.

"Yeah, I'm excited. But overall, I just want a healthy baby" Zac said.

"Me too" Vanessa said.

Zac pulled into the parking lot of the doctor's office and parked his car. He got out of the car and went to Vanessa's side and helped her get out of the car. The couple entwined their fingers together. Vanessa kissed Zac's lips softly.

"I love you babe" Vanessa said.

"I love you too honey" Zac said.

The couple walked into the doctor's office. Vanessa signed herself in and sat next to Zac. A few minutes later, a young nurse with long blonde came into the waiting room with a file.

"Vanessa Hudgens" the nurse called.

Zac and Vanessa stood up and followed the nurse into a room where Vanessa's vitals were taken. They then went into an exam room. The nurse handed Vanessa a gown.

"Please change into this and Dr. Todd will be in shortly" the nurse said.

The nurse left the room. Vanessa changed into the gown and sat down on the exam table.

"How are you feeling today?" Zac asked.

"I feel okay. Tired, but everything else is fine" Vanessa said putting her hand on her stomach.

There was a knock on the door and Dr. Todd walked into the room and smiled.

"Hi Vanessa and Zac" Dr. Todd said.

"Hi Dr. Todd" Vanessa said.

"How are you feeling?" Dr. Todd asked.

"Tired, but I feel good otherwise" Vanessa said.

"How's the morning sickness?" Dr. Todd asked as she washed her hands.

"Horrible, but I am managing" Vanessa said.

"I see a little baby bump" Dr. Todd said.

Vanessa smiled.

"Yeah" Vanessa said.

"Are you ready to see the baby?" Dr. Todd asked.

Vanessa nodded and looked at Zac, who smiled and took her hand in his. Vanessa lied down on the exam table and looked at Zac. Zac kissed Vanessa's head softly.

"I love you" Zac whispered.

"I love you too" Vanessa whispered back.

Dr. Todd turned on the ultrasound and waited for it to heat up. She then lifted Vanessa's gown and took a bottle of gel and squeezed some of the product on to her stomach. Dr. Todd took a wand and started moving the gel around Vanessa's stomach. She looked at the screen and pointed.

"There's your baby" Dr. Todd said.

Zac and Vanessa looked at screen and smiled. Vanessa had tears running down her face. Zac kissed Vanessa's cheek.

"Can we find out the sex today?" Vanessa asked.

"Let's see" Dr. Todd said.

Dr. Todd moved the wand around Vanessa's stomach and stopped. She looked at the screen.

"You are having a boy!" Dr. Todd said.

Vanessa choked back a sob. Zac smiled and kissed her lips softly.

"These are happy tears right, Van?" Zac asked.

Vanessa nodded.

"I love you" Vanessa cried.

"I love you too beautiful and I love our son" Zac said.

Zac wiped Vanessa's tears away and kissed her lips again.

"Well that's exciting. Do you have any names picked out yet?" Dr. Todd asked.

"Not yet, but we need to start looking for some" Vanessa said.

Dr. Todd smiled. She wiped the gel off of Vanessa's stomach and threw the paper towel in the trash. Dr. Todd turned the ultrasound off and then looked at Vanessa.

"Alright, I need to do an internal exam. Can you spread your legs for me?" Dr. Todd asked.

Vanessa spread her legs apart and took Zac's hand in hers. She closed her eyes as Dr. Todd took her seat at the foot of the exam table.

"Take a deep breath for me Vanessa" Dr. Todd said.

Vanessa took a deep breath and opened her eyes and looked at her boyfriend's face. Zac smiled and kissed her head. Dr. Todd examined Vanessa and came up smiling.

"Everything looks good. He is in a good position and is very healthy" Dr. Todd said.

"That's great" Zac said.

Vanessa nodded.

"I am going to go print these pictures out for you and I will be back" Dr. Todd said.

"Okay" Vanessa said sitting up.

Dr. Todd left the room. Zac looked at Vanessa and smiled.

"We are going to have a little boy" Zac said.

Vanessa smiled and nodded.

"Are you happy?" Vanessa asked.

"I'm more than happy baby. We have to start finding names" Zac said.

"Yeah" Vanessa said as she changed back into her clothes.

There was a knock on the door and Dr. Todd came back into the room.

"Here is the sonogram. Congratulations! I will see you in a month" Dr. Todd said.

"Thank you" Vanessa said.

Dr. Todd left the room. Zac looked at Vanessa.

"Are you ready to go?" Zac asked.

"Yeah" Vanessa said.

The couple left Dr. Todd's office and drove home. Zac parked his car and got out of the car and helped Vanessa get out. The couple then walked into the house and went into the living room and sat down on the couch.

"I can't believe we are having a boy" Zac said.

Vanessa smiled.

"I know, I am so happy" Vanessa said.

"When do you want to tell our families?" Zac asked.

"Do you want to tell them together tomorrow?" Vanessa asked.

"Yeah, if we tell them tomorrow, it will give us some time to process it all" Zac said.

Vanessa nodded.

"Okay baby" Vanessa said kissing Zac's lips.

That night, Zac was in his office working on a few future movie contracts. Vanessa was upstairs taking a nap. She had fallen asleep right after dinner. Zac sighed as he closed his laptop. He rubbed his eyes and stretched his body out and stood up. Zac walked out of his office and went upstairs and into the master bedroom. He walked into the room and didn't see Vanessa anywhere. Zac then saw the bathroom light on and smiled. He walked over to the door and knocked politely.

"Baby, are you okay?" Zac asked.

"Yeah, you can come in if you want" Vanessa said.

Zac opened the bathroom door and saw the lights dimmed and Vanessa in the bathtub. He smiled and kneeled down next to the tub.

"Looks like you have made this bathroom into a spa" Zac said.

Vanessa giggled.

"I just needed some 'me' time. My muscles are aching and I just needed some time to relax" Vanessa explained.

"Why didn't you tell me baby? I would have helped you" Zac said.

"You are doing a lot for me already Zac. I wanted to handle it on my own" Vanessa said quietly.

Zac kissed Vanessa's wet forehead.

"Okay" Zac said.

There was a moment of silence.

"It's not that I didn't want your help, Zac. I just wanted to deal with it myself. I didn't want to offend you" Vanessa said.

Zac smiled at Vanessa's explanation. He knew she thought that she had offended him.

"Baby, you didn't offend me. I just want to help you, that's all. You are pregnant and I want to make everything easier and less stressful for you" Zac said.

Vanessa nodded.

"I understand. But I should have told you that I wasn't feeling well" Vanessa said.

"It doesn't matter now babe. Next time, if you are in pain or don't feel well, let me know and you can figure out how you want to deal with it. If you need my help, I will gladly help you" Zac said.

Vanessa nodded and sighed.

"Do you want me to let you relax?" Zac asked.

"No, you are fine. He is just pressing against my back and making my back hurt" Vanessa said.

"I wish there was something I could do to make you feel a little better" Zac said.

Vanessa looked at Zac.

"Kiss me" Vanessa said.

Zac leaned in and kissed Vanessa's lips softly. Vanessa kissed Zac's lips and put her hand on his cheek. Zac pulled back slowly.

"I love you" Zac said.

"I love you too" Vanessa said.

"I'm going to go let you enjoy your bath. If you need anything, let me know" Zac said.

"I will. Thanks babe" Vanessa said as she kissed Zac's lips one last time.

Zac left the bathroom and closed the door behind him. An hour later, Vanessa got out of the tub and changed into her pajamas. She walked downstairs and went into Zac's office and saw him on his computer. Vanessa walked over to her boyfriend and wrapped her arms around him.

"What are you doing?" Vanessa asked as she sat down on Zac's lap.

"Working on some stuff for next year. I have some directors asking me about movies" Zac said.

"Are these plans official?" Vanessa asked.

"No, we are just bouncing ideas off of each other. I may not do any of them. I haven't decided yet. It depends on if everything with you and the baby are settled" Zac said.

Vanessa nodded.

"How was your bath?" Zac asked changing the subject.

"Good. I needed it. What time are our parents coming tomorrow?" Vanessa asked.

"They said around one" Zac said.

"Okay" Vanessa said as she put her hand on her bump.

"Are you feeling better?" Zac asked.

Vanessa nodded.

"I really am sorry about earlier" Vanessa said.

Zac looked at his girlfriend and sighed. He took her hand in his and motioned for her to stand up. Vanessa stood up and followed Zac upstairs to the bedroom. Zac looked at Vanessa.

"Van, listen to me. You didn't do anything wrong honey. You asked for some freedom. That's not a bad thing. I know that I have been a little crazy and over the top, but it's only because I care and I love you so much" Zac said.

"I just feel bad, that's all. Stuff like that you should know" Vanessa said.

"I told you that if you want to handle it on your own, then do it. If you need my help Van, you know I will help you. But it's your call" Zac said.

Vanessa nodded.

"I'm not mad at you baby. I'm just trying to figure out what you want to do, that's all" Zac said.

Vanessa nodded.

"Come here" Zac said.

Vanessa and walked over to Zac. Zac wrapped his arms around Vanessa and kissed her head.

"Whatever you want to do, I'm okay with, alright?" Zac said.

Vanessa nodded.

"I love you" Vanessa said.

"I love you too" Zac said.

Vanessa stood on her tip-toes and kissed Zac's lips softly.

"I think I'm going to go to bed. I'm really tired" Vanessa said.

"Okay babe" Zac said.

Vanessa got into bed. Zac kissed Vanessa's lips.

"Night" Vanessa said.

"Night" Zac said.

Zac walked downstairs and went into the kitchen. He sighed. Zac walked to the back door and went outside. He sat down on the steps and looked at the dark sky. Vanessa was going to have his baby. He was going to be a father. Thoughts filled Zac's head and he started getting scared. He didn't know what the future would hold for him and Vanessa or their son. Zac rubbed his face and ran his fingers through his hair and took a deep breath.

"Zac?" Vanessa called.

Zac turned around and his face softened when he saw a concerned Vanessa looking at him.

"Baby, what are you doing up?" Zac asked softly as he stood up.

"You didn't come to bed and I was wondering where you went" Vanessa said.

"I'm sorry Van" Zac said.

"Are you okay?" Vanessa asked.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" Zac asked innocently.

Vanessa put her hand on Zac's cheek.

"No you aren't. I know you too well. What's wrong?" Vanessa asked.

"I just needed some time to think, that's all. I'm okay" Zac said.

"What's going on in your head babe?" Vanessa asked concerned.

Zac looked at his girlfriend and saw her hand on her bump. He sighed.

"I'm just getting a little freaked out" Zac said honestly.

Vanessa looked at Zac.

"About the baby?" Vanessa asked.

Zac looked down at the ground and put his hands in his pockets. He nodded.

"Zac, look at me" Vanessa said.

Zac looked up at Vanessa.

"You know that it's okay to be freaked out right?" Vanessa asked.

"I just want to be strong for you. You are the one that is going through all these different changes in your body. I didn't want to be the one that was freaking out" Zac said honestly.

Vanessa sighed and kissed Zac's cheek softly.

"Baby, we are both going through this together remember? It's okay to feel scared. I know that I am. Don't worry about being the strong one Zac. This isn't about that" Vanessa said.

Zac nodded.

"Come here" Vanessa said.

Zac walked over to Vanessa. Vanessa wrapped her arms around Zac.

"I love you. We are going through this together. Can we agree on telling each other if we are feeling scared about this?" Vanessa asked.

Zac smiled.

"Yeah. I love you too" Zac said.

"Now that all of that is settled, I'm exhausted. Come on" Vanessa said taking Zac's hand.

The couple walked into the house and went upstairs. Zac and Vanessa got into bed.

"Good night, I love you" Vanessa said.

"Good night, I love you too and I love you little boy" Zac said kissing Vanessa's stomach.

Vanessa smiled and snuggled into Zac's body. The couple fell asleep. They were happy that they could be honest with each other about anything.


	6. I Don't Want To Lose You Again

The next couple weeks, Vanessa and Zac had been working hard on trying to be open with each other. Vanessa was currently three months pregnant. Her bump was now visible and her body had started changing a lot. Her breasts had grown, her feet had become swollen, and her appetite had increased. One morning, Vanessa walked downstairs and went into Zac's office, where she saw her boyfriend on the phone. She sat down in the chair that was in front of his desk and waited for him to finish his call. When Zac finally finished his phone call, he looked at Vanessa and smiled.

"Good morning" Zac said.

"Morning" Vanessa said.

"How are you feeling today?" Zac asked.

"Fine. Morning sickness still sucks" Vanessa said.

Zac smiled.

"Do you want me to make you some tea?" Zac asked.

"No, I made some earlier" Vanessa said.

"Okay, what is the plan for today?" Zac asked.

"I think Stella is going to come over and hang out" Vanessa said.

"Okay" Zac said.

"So, I was thinking about something. I don't know if you will like it or not, but I will ask you anyway" Vanessa said nervously.

Zac looked at Vanessa.

"What's going on babe?" Zac asked.

"What if we start going to therapy? Maybe it will help us deal with our issues" Vanessa suggested.

Zac nodded.

"Do you think that it would help us?" Zac asked.

"I don't know, but it's worth a shot" Vanessa said.

"Okay, I will go. I want us to be honest with each other and not feel like the way we have been feeling towards each other" Zac said.

Vanessa nodded.

"I agree" Vanessa said.

"When are we going to start going?" Zac asked.

"I will call Ashley's therapist and ask when we can come in" Vanessa said.

"Okay" Zac said.

Vanessa stood up and walked over to Zac and kissed his lips softly.

"I love you" Vanessa said.

"I love you too" Zac said.

Vanessa left the room. Zac smiled and continued to look through his computer. He knew that therapy would help them a lot. He was just worried that the things that happened in both his and Vanessa's past would be brought up. Zac was pulled out of his thoughts when he heard the doorbell ring. He got up and walked out of his office and into the living room. Zac smiled when he saw Stella walk into the house.

"Hi Zaccy" Stella said.

"Hi Stellz" Zac said.

"How's everything going?" Stella asked.

"Everything's going well" Zac said.

"How are you feeling Van?" Stella asked.

"Tired. He is killing my back" Vanessa said putting her hand on her bump.

"How far along are you?" Stella asked.

"Three months" Vanessa said.

"In six months you will be parents. Are you excited?" Stella asked.

"Yeah, we are excited. We can't wait until we can see what he looks like" Vanessa said.

Zac smiled. Vanessa, Stella, and Zac talked for a little while longer until Stella had to leave. Vanessa closed the door and looked at Zac.

"Ashley just gave me the number of her therapist. I am going to call her right now and set up an appointment" Vanessa said.

"Okay babe" Zac said.

Vanessa walked into the kitchen and called the therapist. After she made the appointment, Vanessa walked into the living room where Zac was sitting.

"Our appointment is tomorrow at eleven" Vanessa said.

"Okay" Zac said.

"Are you nervous?" Vanessa asked.

"A little bit. I don't know what to expect but I keep reminding myself that this is supposed to help us" Zac said.

Vanessa nodded.

"I'm a little nervous too" Vanessa said.

Zac took Vanessa's hand in his.

"Everything's going to be okay though" Zac said.

Vanessa nodded. The next day, Vanessa and Zac were driving to their therapy appointment. The couple was very nervous of what was going to happen. Zac pulled into the parking lot and parked his car. He looked at Vanessa.

"Are you ready?" Zac asked.

Vanessa looked at Zac and nodded. The couple got out of the car and walked into the office and signed in. They then sat down and waited for their name to be called. A tall dark haired woman who was probably in her forties came into the room.

"Zac and Vanessa?" the woman called.

The couple stood up and followed the woman into an office. The woman closed the door behind them and motioned for the couple to sit down.

"I'm Dr. Jen. Nice to meet you both" Dr. Jen said shaking the couple's hands.

"Nice to meet you too" the couple said.

"So tell me why you decided to come in for therapy?" Dr. Jen asked.

"Well, we have been together for five years. We broke up a couple months ago and recently got back together. I'm three months pregnant and want to be with Zac forever, but there has been a lot of different issues and we have tried to figure them out but we don't know how to go about it" Vanessa explained.

Zac nodded.

"What kind of issues?" Dr. Jen asked.

"We keep things to ourselves and don't express what we feel that well to each other, there has also been a lot of separation between us. I am filming movies and am gone for weeks or months out of the year and it's really difficult for us to deal with that" Zac explained.

Dr. Jen and Vanessa nodded.

"Okay, this is what we are going to do. Let's start from the very beginning" Dr. Jen said.

The couple nodded.

"Vanessa, how do you feel when Zac expressed that you both keep things to yourself?" Dr. Jen asked.

"I agree on what he is saying. We do keep certain things to ourselves" Vanessa said.

"Do you want to be more open with him?" Dr. Jen asked.

Vanessa nodded.

"We deal with things differently and I want to know how he feels about things. I don't want to feel like I am in the dark. I want him to be honest with me" Vanessa said.

Dr. Jen nodded.

"Can you tell him that?" Dr. Jen asked motioning to Zac.

Vanessa looked at her boyfriend.

"I want you to be honest with me and tell me how you feel about things and not bottle it up because you think I will get upset" Vanessa said.

"Can you do that for her Zac?" Dr. Jen asked.

Zac nodded and looked at Vanessa.

"I will try to be as honest with you as I can babe" Zac said.

Vanessa nodded.

"Zac, you mentioned that there is also a lot of separation between the two of you. Can you tell me about that?" Dr. Jen asked.

"I travel a lot for work. I have movies that are being filmed and premiered all over the world. It's hard sometimes to be away for weeks or months. It's definitely been hard on our relationship" Zac said.

"Has there been problems when you are away?" Dr. Jen asked.

"About three years ago, I cheated on him. I felt alone and I didn't have anyone. My family was up north at the time and so I was in LA by myself. Zac was filming and I missed the feeling of having someone around all the time" Vanessa said as she started to cry.

Zac entwined his fingers with Vanessa's. He knew that the topic of Vanessa cheating on him was a sensitive one.

"Is that where the concern of being honest is coming from?" Dr. Jen asked.

Vanessa nodded.

"I understand how she feels. I think being honest with each other will bring us closer" Zac said.

"I think so too. Thank you for telling me about your past Vanessa" Dr. Jen said.

"You are welcome" Vanessa said.

"That's all the time we have for today, but I will see you guys next week" Dr. Jen said.

Vanessa and Zac shook Dr. Jen's hand. They left the office and got into the car and looked at each other.

"Are you okay?" Zac asked.

Vanessa sniffled and nodded.

"Yeah, I just have a lot of things going through my head" Vanessa said.

Zac started driving home.

"Baby, don't dwell on the cheating thing. It's in the past" Zac said.

"How can I forget about it? That is what is causing us to not be honest with each other" Vanessa said.

"Don't blame yourself Van. It was a mistake, I know" Zac said.

"It still hurts" Vanessa said.

"I know" Zac said.

Zac pulled into the driveway and parked his car. He got out of the car and helped Vanessa get out. Zac kissed Vanessa's lips softly.

"I love you. Thanks for being honest with me today" Zac said.

"I love you too and thanks for being honest with me" Vanessa said.

Zac hugged Vanessa and put his hand on her head.

"I don't know why I am crying so much" Vanessa said.

"Well you are pregnant and your hormones are everywhere and therapy brought a lot of emotions out. It's okay to cry honey" Zac said.

Vanessa nodded. The couple walked into the house and went into the living room.

"How do you feel Zac?" Vanessa asked.

"I feel like we have a lot to work on. I definitely am going to work on being honest with you and telling you how I feel because I know that bothers you. We will both have to figure out a plan when I have to leave for press meetings for movies" Zac said.

Vanessa nodded.

"I'm glad that I went" Zac said.

"I glad that I went too. I feel like as we keep going, everything will be back to normal" Vanessa said.

Zac nodded.

"I agree" Zac said.

"I am going to go take a nap. I just need to relax a little bit. That therapy session wore me out" Vanessa said.

"Okay honey, let me know if you need anything" Zac said.

"I will. Love you" Vanessa said.

"I love you too baby. So much" Zac said kissing Vanessa's lips.

Vanessa walked upstairs and went into the bedroom and lied down on the bed. She wiped her remaining tears away and fell asleep. A couple hours later, the doorbell rang. Zac walked over to the door and opened it.

"Dylan? What a surprise" Zac said shaking his brother's hand.

"Hey, I was in the neighborhood and I thought I would stop by" Dylan said.

"How's it going?" Zac asked.

"Good. How's everything? How's Van feeling?" Dylan asked.

"Everything's good. Van's feeling okay. She's tired but other than that she is okay" Zac said.

"Are you excited about having a boy?" Dylan asked.

"I'm really excited. I can't wait to see what he looks like" Zac said.

Vanessa walked downstairs and smiled when she saw Dylan. She walked over to Zac and wrapped her arms around him. Zac looked over at Vanessa and smiled.

"Hi beautiful, how was your nap?" Zac asked.

"Good. I needed it. Hi Dylan, how are you?" Vanessa asked.

"I'm doing well. How are you mama? You look good, Van" Dylan said.

Vanessa smiled.

"Thanks Dyl. I'm doing okay. I'm tired all the time, but everything else is okay" Vanessa said.

"How's baby Efron?" Dylan asked.

"He's fine. He's healthy and that's all that matters right now" Vanessa said putting her hand on her bump.

"Are you excited for the baby to come?" Dylan asked.

"Yeah, I'm really excited" Vanessa said.

"How are the two of you doing?" Dylan asked looking at the couple.

Vanessa and Zac looked at each other.

"We started going to therapy" Vanessa said.

"Really? Are things that bad?" Dylan asked amazed.

"Things aren't bad but we just have a lot of things to work out" Zac said.

Vanessa nodded.

"I'm happy that you guys are getting help. It will bring you closer together" Dylan said.

"Yeah" Zac and Vanessa said.

"So do you have any names picked out yet?" Dylan asked.

"Not yet. We are looking for some" Zac said.

"Okay" Dylan said.

Vanessa, Dylan, and Zac talked for a little while longer until Dylan had to leave. Zac closed the door and looked at Vanessa.

"Babe, can I talk to you for a minute?" Zac asked.

"Yeah" Vanessa said.

The couple walked into the living room and sat down. Zac took his girlfriend's hand in his.

"Okay, now that we went to our first therapy session, I want to work some stuff out" Zac said.

"Alright" Vanessa said.

"You said that I need to be honest and let you know how I am feeling and I want to do that for you" Zac said.

Vanessa nodded.

"I'm really scared of what the future is going to hold for us. I don't know what's going to happen. I don't know why I am feeling this way" Zac said.

Vanessa nodded.

"I'm scared too Zac. But, I think if we work through our issues, then we will be able to be happier" Vanessa said.

Zac nodded.

"I just don't want to lose you again, that's all" Zac said.

Vanessa smiled. She snuggled into Zac's chest and kissed his cheek.

"I don't want to lose you again either. I feel like when the baby comes, it will be a fresh start for us. We can start over as a family" Vanessa said.

"Yeah" Zac said.

"Thank you for telling me how you feel" Vanessa said.

Zac looked at Vanessa.

"You are welcome" Zac said.

The rest of the day, Zac and Vanessa relaxed around the house. They were happy that they had begun fixing their relationship and that everything was going well.


	7. Let's Be Honest

A couple weeks later, Vanessa four months pregnant and a lot of things had happened. The couple had gone to a couple of therapy sessions and things started to improve in their relationship. Zac had started to become more open and talked about everything that was bothering him. Vanessa had also become more honest on how she felt. One day, Vanessa was in the kitchen making dinner. She heard the door open and Zac walked into the kitchen. He kissed Vanessa's cheek softly.

"Hi, how was your meeting?" Vanessa asked.

"It was good. This director really wants me to be in this movie. I told him that I couldn't do it until next year because we have a baby on the way and he said that it was fine" Zac said.

"That's great honey. I'm happy for you" Vanessa said.

"How are you doing?" Zac asked as he put his hand on Vanessa's growing bump.

"I'm tired. My back and feet hurt a little bit too" Vanessa said.

Zac put his hand on Vanessa's back.

"Why don't you go lie down for a little while? I will finish dinner and call you when it's ready" Zac said.

"Okay, thanks babe" Vanessa said.

"No problem. Call me if you need me" Zac said.

Vanessa kissed Zac's lips softly. Zac pulled back and smiled.

"Go upstairs and relax" Zac said.

"Yes sir" Vanessa said saluting.

Zac laughed.

"I love you" Zac said.

"I love you too" Vanessa said.

Vanessa walked upstairs. Zac finished making dinner and put everything on two plates. He then walked upstairs and went into the bedroom. He crawled onto the bed and kissed Vanessa's cheek softly. Vanessa opened her eyes slowly and stretched her body out.

"Dinner's ready" Zac said.

"Okay" Vanessa said.

Vanessa stood up and followed Zac downstairs. The couple walked into the kitchen and sat down at the table and started eating.

"Are you going to be traveling before the baby comes?" Vanessa asked.

"No. I may need to do a couple appearances but other than that, I don't need to do anything else. Why?" Zac asked.

"I was just curious. I'm starting to get a little nervous" Vanessa said.

"What are you nervous about babe?" Zac asked.

"I'm nervous about being alone when I go into labor. I'm scared that you will be in the middle of something and I suddenly go into labor and there is no way you can come home" Vanessa said.

Zac looked at Vanessa and saw the concern in her eyes. He put his hand on top of hers.

"Hey, everything is going to be okay honey. You aren't going to go into labor alone because I am not going to let that happen. When you get closer to your due date, I am not going to do any appearances. I am going to work from home and be here all day and all night. You have nothing to worry about Van" Zac said.

Vanessa nodded.

"The possibilities of something happening are just going through my head, that's all" Vanessa said.

"I know and that's okay. It's normal to be scared. You have never had a baby before" Zac said.

Vanessa nodded and sighed.

"I'm glad you told me how you were feeling" Zac said.

"I didn't want to hide anything from you" Vanessa said.

"That's good babe. I'm happy that you feel like you can talk to me about this kind of stuff" Zac said.

"What if paparazzi bother us when I'm in labor?" Vanessa asked.

Zac looked at Vanessa.

"Van, let's not think about that right now okay? Let's just take everything as it comes" Zac said.

"Okay" Vanessa said.

"Alright. Is that everything that is on your mind?" Zac asked.

"Yeah, for right now" Vanessa said.

Zac kissed Vanessa's cheek softly.

"Okay" Zac said.

The couple finished eating and they brought their plates into the kitchen and put them into the dishwasher. They then walked into the living room and sat down on the couch.

"When is your next doctor's appointment?" Zac asked.

"Next week" Vanessa said.

"I wonder what he looks like now" Zac said putting his hand on Vanessa's bump.

"I think he got a little bigger since my bump has grown a little bit" Vanessa said putting her hand on her bump.

"Yeah, he's going to be a big boy. Efron's have big babies" Zac said.

"Let's just hope he's not too big" Vanessa said.

"He won't be. He will be the perfect size" Zac said.

Vanessa stood up and stretched her arms out.

"I think I am going to take a bath" Vanessa said.

"Okay" Zac said.

"Don't wait up for me. If you are tired, then go to sleep" Vanessa said.

"Alright honey" Zac said.

Vanessa walked upstairs and went into the bathroom and closed the door. She turned on the water in the bath tub and waited for the tub to fill up. When the tub had filled up with water, Vanessa put some of her favorite soap into the warm water. She then took off her clothes and got into the tub. Vanessa sighed happily when she felt the warm water hit her skin. She put her hand on her bump.

"Hi baby. I love you buddy" Vanessa said.

Vanessa felt her muscles start to relax. She smiled at the feeling. Twenty minutes later, Vanessa got out of the tub and drained the water. She then changed into her pajamas and emerged from the bathroom. Vanessa saw Zac sitting up in bed, shirtless. She smiled and climbed into bed carefully. Vanessa snuggled into her boyfriend's chest.

"How was your bath?" Zac asked as he put his arm around Vanessa's back.

"Relaxing. What are you doing?" Vanessa asked as she leaned her head against Zac's shoulder.

"Just catching up on some emails" Zac said as he put his phone down on the bedside table.

Vanessa kissed Zac's shoulder softly. She wrapped her arms around her boyfriend's torso.

"Did you ask your doctor if it was safe to have sex while you are pregnant?" Zac asked.

"No, but I am assuming it's okay" Vanessa said.

"Well don't assume it's okay if you don't know for sure. We want to keep him safe. Maybe you should ask next week at your appointment" Zac said.

Vanessa nodded.

"We haven't had sex in a while" Vanessa said.

"I know. I think we need to work on our relationship before we start having sex again" Zac said.

"I agree" Vanessa said.

"I'm not trying to shut you down or anything. I just don't want you to feel vulnerable" Zac said.

Vanessa nodded.

"I understand. I think it's a good idea. We will just have to snuggle ten times more" Vanessa joked.

Zac laughed.

"Yeah" Zac said.

Vanessa wrapped her arms around Zac's torso. She kissed his chest softly.

"I love you" Vanessa said.

"I love you too baby girl. Get some sleep okay?" Zac said.

Vanessa nodded against his chest. The couple fell asleep. The next morning, Vanessa woke up and walked to the bathroom and shut the door. She sighed as she walked quickly to the toilet and kneeled down in front of it. Vanessa released the remains of her stomach into the porcelain bowl. Once she finished, Vanessa stood up and walked to the sink and brushed her teeth. She walked out of the bathroom and got back into bed and snuggled into Zac's chest.

"Are you okay?" Zac asked with his eyes closed.

"Yeah. Just threw up" Vanessa said.

Zac opened his eyes and looked at Vanessa.

"How do you feel now?" Zac asked.

"Worn out" Vanessa said.

"I'm sorry sweetie" Zac said.

"It's not your fault" Vanessa said.

"What are we doing today?" Zac asked.

"I am going to clear out the guest bedroom so we can start putting his furniture in there" Vanessa said.

"I don't think you should be doing that. It's not safe" Zac said.

"I will be fine" Vanessa said.

"I will do it babe. Don't move anything. All of the stuff in there is heavy" Zac said.

"I want to do it though" Vanessa said.

"I understand that honey, but I don't want you or him to get hurt" Zac said putting his hand on her stomach.

Vanessa sighed.

"I am only saying this because I love you both and I don't want anything to happen to you" Zac said.

"I know" Vanessa said.

Zac kissed Vanessa's cheek.

"So besides moving stuff out of the guest room, what are we doing?" Zac asked.

"Nothing. Just relaxing" Vanessa said.

"Okay. Well, let me get up and I will move whatever you need me to move out of the guest room" Zac said.

"Okay" Vanessa said.

The couple got out of bed and walked into the guest room. Vanessa dictated on where she wanted everything in the room to go. An hour later, Zac finished moving everything.

"Alright, now that that is done, what else do we need to do?" Zac asked.

"Nothing. Thank you for moving everything baby" Vanessa said kissing Zac's lips.

Zac smiled.

"You are very welcome" Zac said.

Zac put his hand on Vanessa's bump.

"I can't wait to meet him" Zac said.

Vanessa smiled and put her hand on top of his.

"I can't wait to meet him too" Vanessa said.

"Who do you want in the delivery room with you?" Zac asked randomly.

"I just want you there. Nobody else" Vanessa said.

"Okay" Zac said.

"I don't want our families watching me give birth. That's weird. You are the only one that should be in there" Vanessa said.

"Okay" Zac said.

"What are we going to name him?" Vanessa asked.

"I have no idea. How about we both come up with names and see which ones we like the most?" Zac suggested.

"Alright" Vanessa said.

"We still have time to think about names though" Zac said.

"I know. I don't want to keep calling the baby "him" " Vanessa said.

"Okay" Zac said.

A week later, Vanessa and Zac were driving to Vanessa's doctor's appointment. They were excited to see how much the baby had grown in the last month.

"How are you feeling today baby?" Zac asked.

"Alright. I just am a little tired" Vanessa said.

"When we go home, you can take a nap" Zac said.

Vanessa nodded.

"I'm really craving a pickle. Is that weird?" Vanessa asked.

Zac laughed and looked at a confused Vanessa.

"I'm sorry baby. The way you said that was funny. When we get home, I will get you one" Zac said.

"Okay" Vanessa said.

Zac pulled into the parking lot and parked his car. He looked at Vanessa.

"Are you ready?" Zac asked.

"Yeah, let's go" Vanessa said.

The couple got out of the car and walked into the office. Vanessa signed herself in and sat down next to Zac. Zac put his hand on top of Vanessa's bump. A few minutes later, a nurse came into the room with a file.

"Vanessa?" the nurse called.

Vanessa and Zac stood up and followed the nurse into a room where Vanessa's vitals were taken. The couple was then escorted to an exam room.

"Vanessa please change into this gown and Dr. Todd will be in shortly" the nurse said.

The nurse left the room. Vanessa changed into the gown and sat on the exam table. She looked at Zac and saw him staring at her.

"What are you staring at?" Vanessa asked.

"Nothing. You look beautiful today" Zac said.

Vanessa smiled. Zac leaned over and kissed Vanessa's lips softly.

"Thank you Zac" Vanessa said.

"No problem" Zac said.

There was a knock on the door and Dr. Todd came into the room.

"Hi guys, how are you feeling Vanessa?" Dr. Todd asked as she washed her hands.

"I feel okay. I'm always tired" Vanessa said.

"Has he been moving around in there?"

"A little bit. He loves to press against my back" Vanessa said.

Zac smiled and took his girlfriend's hand.

"No kicking yet?" Dr. Todd asked.

"Not yet" Vanessa said.

Dr. Todd sat down on a stool and looked at the couple.

"Do you have any questions for me?" Dr. Todd asked.

Vanessa looked at Zac and saw him wink at her. She looked at Dr. Todd.

"We wanted to know if it was safe to have sex. We didn't want to harm the baby" Vanessa said.

Dr. Todd smiled.

"It's safe to have sex but you just need to be careful. You need to be gentle" Dr. Todd said.

Vanessa and Zac nodded.

"Okay" Vanessa said.

"Any other questions?" Dr. Todd asked.

Vanessa looked at Zac.

"Is it possible for Vanessa to go into labor early?" Zac asked.

"It's possible but I can't say that she will or not" Dr. Todd said.

Zac nodded.

"She's had a healthy pregnancy so far so there is not a high chance that she will go into labor early but only time will tell" Dr. Todd said.

Zac nodded.

"Are you ready to see your baby?" Dr. Todd asked.

"Yeah" Zac and Vanessa said.

Dr. Todd moved Vanessa's gown above her bump. She then turned on the ultrasound and waited for it to heat up.

"Have you told your families that you are having a boy?" Dr. Todd asked.

"Yeah, they are really excited" Vanessa said looking at Zac.

Zac smiled and took Vanessa's hand in his. Dr. Todd took a bottle of gel and squeezed some of the product onto Vanessa's stomach. She then took a wand and moved the gel around Vanessa's stomach. Dr. Todd stopped moving the wand and pointed to the screen.

"There's your baby boy, guys" Dr. Todd said.

Vanessa looked at the screen and smiled. She couldn't wait to meet her son.

"You are four months correct?" Dr. Todd asked.

"Yeah" Vanessa said.

"He looks very healthy. There's his head" Dr. Todd said pointing to the screen.

Vanessa wiped the tears that were running down her face. Zac looked at Vanessa and smiled.

"You okay honey?" Zac asked.

"I'm just really happy" Vanessa said.

Zac smiled and kissed her head softly.

"He's in a good position" Dr. Todd said.

"What does that mean?" Vanessa asked.

"He's already in a position to come down" Dr. Todd said.

"But she's only four months along" Zac said.

"Don't worry Zac. It doesn't mean that she will go into labor early. This is normal" Dr. Todd said.

Zac sighed.

"Okay" Zac said.

Vanessa looked up at Zac.

"Everything is okay Zac" Vanessa said.

Zac nodded.

"Alright, let me go print these pictures for you and I will come back" Dr. Todd said.

"Okay" Vanessa said.

Dr. Todd left the room. Vanessa looked at her boyfriend.

"Are you okay?" Vanessa asked.

"Yeah, I just got a little concerned when she said that he was already in position to give birth to. I didn't know if that was normal or not. I freaked out a little bit" Zac said.

Vanessa smiled slightly. She put her hand on Zac's face.

"Everything is okay. I'm okay and he's okay. There is nothing to worry about baby" Vanessa said.

Zac smiled.

"I'm sorry for freaking out" Zac said.

"Don't be sorry for telling me how you feel. That would have freaked me out too" Vanessa said.

Zac smiled and took a deep breath.

"I love you" Vanessa said.

"I love you too sweetheart" Zac said.

There was a knock on the door and Dr. Todd came back into the room. She handed the sonogram to Zac.

"Alright Vanessa, I need to examine you" Dr. Todd said.

"Okay" Vanessa said spreading her legs apart.

Dr. Todd put a pair of fresh gloves on and sat down at the foot of the bed. Vanessa looked up at Zac and smiled.

"Take a deep breath in for me Vanessa" Dr. Todd said.

Vanessa took a deep breath and Dr. Todd examined her. A few moments later, Dr. Todd came up and smiled.

"Everything looks fine. You have one healthy baby boy in there. I will see you guys in a month" Dr. Todd said.

"Okay" Vanessa said.

Dr. Todd left the room. Vanessa sat up carefully.

"This bump is starting to get in the way" Vanessa said putting her hand on her stomach.

Zac smiled.

"Do you need some help?" Zac asked.

"A little" Vanessa said.

Zac helped Vanessa get off of the exam table. He kissed her lips softly.

"I love you" Vanessa said.

"I love you too" Zac said.

Vanessa got dressed and the couple left the office.

"So now that we know that the baby is healthy, we need to celebrate" Zac said.

Vanessa smiled.

"What does this celebration entail Mr. Efron?" Vanessa asked.

"I have a few tricks up my sleeve" Zac joked.

"Sometimes you are such a dork" Vanessa said laughing.

"Sometimes I wonder what you would ever do without me" Zac said.

Vanessa smiled.

"I would die without you" Vanessa said.

"I would die without you too" Zac said.

"So seriously, what are we doing?" Vanessa asked.

Zac put his finger on Vanessa's lips.

"Sh. You will find out soon" Zac said.

Vanessa raised her eyebrow.

"Alright" Vanessa said.

The couple drove home and got out of the car. They were really happy that everything in their life was going well and that their unborn son was healthy.


	8. The Little Things

That night, Vanessa was sleeping in bed. When the couple got home, she immediately went upstairs and fell asleep. Zac was downstairs planning a surprise for her. He was cooking some of Vanessa's favorite dishes for dinner. Zac was finishing cooking when the phone rang.

"Hello?" Zac answered.

"Hi honey, how are you?" Gina asked.

"Hi Gina, I'm doing well. How are you?" Zac asked.

"I'm fine. Is Vanessa around?" Gina asked.

"She's taking a nap. We just got back from her doctor's appointment and she just passed out" Zac said.

"Oh okay. Can you tell her that I called?" Gina asked.

"Of course" Zac said.

"Alright, I will talk to you later. Love you Zac" Gina said.

"Love you too Gina" Zac said.

Zac hung up the phone and sighed. He finished making dinner and put everything on two plates. Zac carried the two plates to the table. He dimmed the lights in the dining room and smiled. Tonight was going to be all about them. Zac walked upstairs and went into the bedroom and saw Vanessa sleeping. He lied down next to his girlfriend and kissed her head softly.

"Baby, dinner is ready" Zac said moving a stray hair out of Vanessa's face.

"Mm" Vanessa said opening her eyes.

"Come on" Zac said.

Vanessa stretched her body out.

"Help me get up" Vanessa said.

Zac got off the bed and walked to Vanessa's side. He helped Vanessa get onto her feet. The couple then walked downstairs. Vanessa stopped when she saw the dimmed lighting in the dining room. She smiled.

"I wanted to make tonight all about us. No baby or work talk" Zac said.

"This is really sweet baby" Vanessa said.

"Come on. Sit down" Zac said.

Vanessa walked over to the table and sat down.

"What do we have on the menu today?" Vanessa asked.

"We have a little of everything. All of your favorites" Zac said.

Vanessa smiled and looked at Zac.

"Thank you" Vanessa said.

Zac smiled and took her hand in his.

"I love you. We have been so busy with thinking about the baby and getting ourselves back to what we used to be and we haven't thought about just relaxing and enjoying our life" Zac said.

"I love you too. I know that we have been really busy" Vanessa said.

Zac kissed Vanessa's passionately. The couple ate their food. After they finished, Vanessa looked at Zac and smiled.

"That was really good" Vanessa said.

Zac smiled.

"Thank you. It's not over yet" Zac said.

Vanessa looked confused. Zac took their plates into the kitchen and put them in the dishwasher. He then walked over to Vanessa and took her hand.

"Where are we going?" Vanessa asked.

"Come on" Zac said.

Zac and Vanessa walked upstairs and went into the bedroom. Zac kissed Vanessa passionately. Vanessa put her hand on Zac's cheek and kissed him back. Zac started unbuttoning Vanessa's jeans and Vanessa started doing the same to Zac without breaking the kiss. Zac pulled away and smiled.

"You okay?" Zac asked.

Vanessa nodded.

"Let me know if I hurt you babe" Zac said.

"I will" Vanessa said.

Zac lifted Vanessa's shirt over head. He kissed her neck softly and moved her hair away from her face. Vanessa removed Zac's shirt and ran her fingers down his chest. Zac kissed Vanessa sweetly.

"Are you ready?" Zac asked.

Vanessa nodded. Zac lifted Vanessa into his arms and kissed her lips. He carefully removed her bra and looked up at her. Zac then removed her underwear and heard her gasp. He looked at her.

"I'm okay" Vanessa said.

"Alright" Zac said.

Zac carried Vanessa to the bed and lied her down carefully.

"I love you" Zac said.

"I love you too" Vanessa said.

Zac and Vanessa made love for hours. They hadn't been able to do that for a long time. The next morning, the couple's bodies were entwined with each others. Vanessa woke up and smiled. She looked at the man next to her and smiled. Zac was sleeping soundly with a smile on his face. Vanessa leaned over and kissed Zac's cheek. He opened his eyes slowly.

"Good morning" Vanessa said.

"Morning baby" Zac said.

Vanessa smiled.

"Last night was fun" Vanessa said kissing Zac's chest.

"Yeah, it felt like old times" Zac said.

"I love you" Vanessa said.

"I love you too Van. So much" Zac said.

Vanessa sighed happily.

"Did I hurt you last night?" Zac asked worriedly.

Vanessa shook her head.

"No you didn't. It was perfect" Vanessa said snuggling into Zac's chest.

"I forgot to tell you that your mom called last night when you were taking your nap" Zac said kissing Vanessa's bare shoulder.

"Did she need to talk to me?" Vanessa asked.

"I don't know. She just wanted you to call her back" Zac said.

"Okay, I will call her back later" Vanessa said.

Zac smiled. Vanessa moved over so that she was straddling Zac. Zac looked up at Vanessa and smiled.

"Are you trying to get another round in?" Zac asked as he put his warm hands on Vanessa's thighs.

"I don't know. Are you up for it?" Vanessa asked raising her eyebrow.

Zac smiled.

"I don't want to wear you out baby" Zac said.

"We could do it later?" Vanessa suggested.

"Okay" Zac said putting his hand on Vanessa's bump.

Vanessa looked down at her stomach.

"He's grown so much in the last week" Vanessa said.

"Yeah" Zac said as he kissed Vanessa's bump.

Vanessa smiled. She ran her fingers through Zac's hair.

"You are going to be an amazing dad Zac. I want you to know that" Vanessa said.

Zac smiled and kissed Vanessa's bump again.

"You are going to be an amazing mom" Zac said.

"Do you think we will be like our parents?" Vanessa asked.

"I have no idea. Your parents raised all girls and mine raised all boys so I don't know" Zac said.

"Do you think the pain will be really bad?" Vanessa asked referring to the birth.

Zac looked at Vanessa and started rubbing her thigh.

"I don't know honey. I hope not. But, when you go into labor that's when we will know. You could always ask for an epidural" Zac said.

"I wanted to have a natural birth. No drugs or anything. I just hope that I can do it without anything" Vanessa said.

Zac nodded.

"You will be able to do it babe. I know that you will" Zac said.

Vanessa sighed.

"What else is on your mind?" Zac asked.

"Just the birth" Vanessa said.

"Dr. Todd and I will be there. There's nothing to worry about Van. You can do this" Zac said.

"How do you know that I will be able to do it?" Vanessa asked.

Zac motioned for Vanessa to lie down next to him. Vanessa got off of Zac and lied down next to him. Zac put his arm around Vanessa's shoulder and brought her body close.

"You are the strongest woman I know. You have dealt with so much since I have met you and you have always overcome it. When you have to push this baby out, I know that that same drive will help you" Zac said.

Vanessa nodded.

"Besides this might be the only time I will let you break my hand" Zac joked.

Vanessa giggled.

"Thanks" Vanessa said.

Zac smiled.

"Anytime baby, and you know that if you need to talk about anything, you know that you can always talk to me. I may not know a lot about giving birth and pregnancy but I will try my best to help you in any way that I can" Zac said.

Vanessa smiled and nodded. She leaned over and kissed Zac's cheek.

"I love you" Vanessa said.

"I love you too baby" Zac said.

"What are we going to do today?" Vanessa asked.

"I don't know. It depends on what you want to do today" Zac said.

"Can we put his name together please?" Vanessa asked.

"Okay. Do you have some names picked out?" Zac asked.

"Yeah" Vanessa said.

"What are they?" Zac asked.

"I like Ryan, Liam, Sam, Jacob, and Noah. What are yours?" Vanessa asked.

"I like Logan, Ben, Matt, Chris, and Ethan" Zac said.

"Alright let's narrow the names down" Vanessa said.

Twenty minutes later, the couple had two names that they were torn between.

"So we have Christopher Jacob or Noah Matthew. Which one do you like babe?" Zac asked.

"I like Christopher Jacob" Vanessa said.

"I like that one too. So our son's name will be Christopher Jacob" Zac said.

"For short we can call him Chris" Vanessa said.

"Yeah" Zac said.

"I'm happy we have a name for him" Vanessa said.

"I'm happy too" Zac said.

Vanessa put her hand on her bump. She rubbed her stomach soothingly but then pulled her hand off.

"Zac" Vanessa said.

"Yeah?" Zac asked.

"I think Chris just kicked for the first time" Vanessa said excitedly.

"Really?" Zac asked.

"Yeah, put your hand here and wait a minute. Let's see if he will do it again. Come on baby, kick for daddy" Vanessa said.

A moment later Zac felt a kick come in contact with his hand. He smiled.

"Wow, that's amazing. Does he hurt you when he kicks?" Zac asked.

"No, it feels like you have butterflies in your stomach" Vanessa said.

"Okay. Now it feels real" Zac said.

"Yeah, he really is in here" Vanessa said putting her hand on her bump.

Zac leaned over and kissed Vanessa's lips.

"I love you" Zac said.

"I love you too. Do you want to go visit my mom today?" Vanessa asked.

"Okay" Zac said.

"Let me go take a shower and then we can leave" Vanessa said.

"Alright honey" Zac said.

Vanessa carefully got off the bed and picked out her clothes for the day. She then walked into the bathroom and took a shower. Twenty minutes later, Vanessa emerged from the bathroom. She walked downstairs and saw that Zac was in his office. Vanessa walked into the office and leaned against the doorway.

"What are you doing?" Vanessa asked.

"I'm just looking at some stuff that Jeff wanted me to check out" Zac said.

Jeff was Zac's publicist who he had been working with since High School Musical (do not own) premiered.

"Oh" Vanessa said.

"Are you ready to go honey?" Zac asked.

"Yeah" Vanessa said.

"Okay, let's go" Zac said.

Zac and Vanessa left the house. Zac drove to the Hudgens' home and parked his car in the driveway. The couple got out of the car and walked to the front door. Vanessa rang the doorbell. Zac took Vanessa's hand in his. A few moments later, Stella opened the door.

"Hi guys. Hi baby" Stella said putting her hand on Vanessa's bump.

"Hey" Vanessa said.

The couple walked into the house. Gina came into the room and smiled.

"Van you look beautiful" Gina said.

"Thanks mom" Vanessa said.

"How are you feeling?" Gina asked.

"Exhausted" Vanessa said.

"Did you find any names for your son?" Gina asked.

"Yeah we did. But we aren't going to announce it until he is born" Vanessa said.

"Why can't you tell me? I won't tell anyone" Gina said innocently.

"We want everyone to be surprised" Vanessa said.

"Okay. How's everything else going?" Gina asked.

"Everything's fine. We just are doing a bunch of baby stuff. I'm working from home" Zac said.

"Oh, how's that going?" Gina asked.

"It's going well. I just want to be home for Van, just in case something happens" Zac said.

Vanessa smiled.

"We started going to therapy" Vanessa said.

"I'm happy that you want to work on your relationship and that you want to bring your son into a reconciled environment" Gina said.

The couple smiled.

"We just have to make sure that we tell each other how we are feeling about something and be honest" Vanessa said entwining her fingers with her boyfriend's.

"Yeah" Zac said.

Gina and the couple talked for a little while longer. They then left the house and drove home. A couple weeks later, Vanessa was five and a half months pregnant. Her mood swings and cravings were in full swing. One day she would be angry and the next she would be clingy. One morning, Vanessa walked downstairs and didn't see Zac anywhere. She went to Zac's office and found in on the computer. Vanessa walked over Zac and wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

"What's going on babe?" Zac asked.

"Nothing. I love you" Vanessa said.

Zac smiled. He looked away from his computer and pushed his chair back. Zac offered Vanessa his lap and she sat down.

"I love you too" Zac said as Vanessa wrapped her arms around him.

Zac put his hand on Vanessa's back and rubbed it soothingly and kissed her head.

"How are you feeling today?" Zac asked.

"Fine" Vanessa said simply.

"What am I going to find in the kitchen?" Zac asked.

Vanessa giggled. She had been tearing apart the kitchen because her cravings were crazy.

"Nothing. I wasn't craving anything too crazy today" Vanessa said as she played with her boyfriend's hair.

"How's Chris doing today?" Zac asked.

"Kicking and not letting his mommy have a break" Vanessa said closing her eyes.

Zac put his hand on Vanessa's bump and rubbed it soothingly.

"Hey bud, let your mommy rest" Zac said.

Vanessa smiled and sighed.

"Sorry" Vanessa said.

Zac looked confused.

"What are you sorry for babe?" Zac asked.

"My mood swings are crazy. I'm so clingy" Vanessa said.

Zac smiled and kissed her head.

"Hey, that's okay. I don't mind. You do whatever you feel that you need to do. I know that you can't control them" Zac said putting his hand on Vanessa's stomach.

Vanessa kissed Zac's cheek.

"I love you" Vanessa said.

Zac smiled.

"I love you too sweetheart. Why don't you go take a nap? Maybe he will settle down a little if you get some sleep" Zac said.

Vanessa nodded and raised her head and looked at Zac.

"I'm going to go upstairs" Vanessa said.

"Alright. Let me know if you need anything" Zac said.

"Okay" Vanessa said.

Vanessa left the room. Zac smiled and shook his head. He loved Vanessa more and more each day. Zac couldn't wait until his son was born.


	9. What Do You Want?

Later that afternoon, Zac walked upstairs and saw that Vanessa was in the bathroom looking at her bump. He walked over and leaned against the doorway.

"He's getting big" Zac said.

Vanessa turned and looked at her boyfriend and nodded.

"Yeah, he's getting big and making me look like a bear attacked me" Vanessa said looking at her stretch marks.

"They will go away baby, don't even worry about that" Zac said.

"I just don't feel like I look good" Vanessa said.

"You are the most beautiful pregnant woman I have ever seen. Don't think that you aren't. You make me fall in love with you all over again every day" Zac said.

Vanessa smiled.

"You have to say that because I'm carrying your child" Vanessa said.

"I'm saying it because it's the truth and I love you so much Van" Zac said.

"I love you too" Vanessa said.

"Come on, enough staring at your body. You will only make yourself go crazy" Zac said taking her hand.

Zac and Vanessa walked downstairs.

"What can I make you to eat?" Zac asked.

"A sandwich with pickles and onions please" Vanessa said.

"Do you want any meat on that?" Zac asked.

"No thank you" Vanessa said.

"Okay" Zac said looking for the ingredients to Vanessa's sandwich.

Zac made Vanessa her sandwich and put it on a plate. He then put the plate onto the table.

"There you go" Zac said.

Vanessa sat down and took a bite out of her sandwich. She closed her eyes in delight.

"Thank you baby" Vanessa said.

"No problem. How is it?" Zac asked.

"It's really good. It sounds gross but to me it tastes amazing" Vanessa gushed.

Zac smiled and chuckled.

"You have some of the weirdest cravings" Zac said.

Vanessa shrugged.

"What baby wants, baby gets" Vanessa said.

Zac smiled.

"Yeah" Zac said.

"Baby?" Vanessa asked.

"Yeah honey?" Zac asked.

"Will you be home after the baby comes?" Vanessa asked.

"Yeah, I am. I am not going back to work until I know that you can take care of the baby by yourself" Zac said.

"Okay" Vanessa said.

"Why? What's on your mind?" Zac asked.

"Nothing, I was just wondering. I didn't know what the plan was or anything" Vanessa said.

"Okay" Zac said.

Vanessa finished her sandwich and brought her plate to the sink and put it in the dishwasher. She then walked over to Zac. She ran her fingers through her boyfriend's hair and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. Zac looked at Vanessa.

"What are you doing Van?" Zac asked.

"Sex" Vanessa mumbled.

Zac chuckled softly.

"What?" Vanessa asked.

"Nothing baby" Zac said.

"Please?" Vanessa asked.

"Your sex drive is insane" Zac said.

"What? Am I that insane to want to have sex with my boyfriend, who I never get intimate anymore with?" Vanessa asked hormonally.

"Babe, that's not what I meant" Zac said.

"I'm sorry that I'm pregnant and am needy" Vanessa said getting up and walking upstairs.

"Van, come back here" Zac said at the bottom of the stairs.

"No" Vanessa said closing their bedroom door and locking it.

Zac sighed and closed his eyes.

"It's only a mood swing. Just give her some time to relax and everything will be fine" Zac told himself.

Zac walked into the living room and sat down on the couch. He turned on the television and started watching a movie. An hour later, a tearful Vanessa came downstairs. She walked into the living room where Zac was watching his movie and sat down next to him.

"I'm sorry that I went off on you" Vanessa said.

Zac turned off the television and looked at his pregnant girlfriend.

"Baby, it's okay" Zac said.

"I'm just really clingy and I just want you by my side all the time. I don't feel like myself. You are what make me feel like myself so I gravitate towards you and that's why I want to have sex all the time" Vanessa explained.

Zac smiled.

"Vanessa" Zac said.

Vanessa looked at Zac. He only called her that when he was serious about something.

"I understand and I told you that it's okay. I know you don't feel like yourself sweetheart and I wish I could take that feeling away from you. I know that we haven't been intimate in a while. I just don't want to hurt the baby now that he is getting bigger" Zac said putting his hand on Vanessa's stomach.

Vanessa sniffled.

"Hey, don't cry babe. Do you understand what I'm saying though and why we haven't be having sex lately?" Zac asked.

Vanessa nodded.

"Yeah I understand" Vanessa said.

"I promise when he comes out, we will have lots of sex to make up for all the times that we didn't" Zac said.

Vanessa giggled.

"Good, because I miss you" Vanessa said.

Zac put his arm around Vanessa. Vanessa kissed Zac's lips softly.

"I miss you too" Zac said.

Zac put his hand on Vanessa's bump and felt his son kick his hand.

"Daddy can't wait to meet you bud" Zac said.

Vanessa smiled.

"Mommy can't wait either" Vanessa said.

"I wish we could just fast-forward the next four months" Zac said.

"Me too. But then that means pain" Vanessa said.

"You will be fine baby" Zac said.

"I think you are going to be the only one that will be able to help me get through it" Vanessa said.

Zac smiled.

"Good, because I wouldn't want anyone else to help you" Zac said kissing Vanessa's cheek.

Vanessa sighed and put her hand on her bump and felt the baby kick her hand.

"Have you talked to Stella?" Zac asked.

"Not really. I just have been so busy with all the baby stuff that I haven't had time" Vanessa said.

"Go call her and see what she's up to. You need to get out of the house" Zac said.

"Okay" Vanessa said.

Vanessa got up and called Stella and made plans with her. She walked back into the living room.

"I'm going to go pick Stella up and we are going to go to lunch. Do you want anything while I'm out?" Vanessa asked.

"No baby. Go have fun. Call me if you need me" Zac said kissing Vanessa's lips softly.

"I will. Love you" Vanessa said.

"I love you too" Zac said.

Vanessa left the house and drove to her parents house. She parked her car and walked to the front door. Vanessa rang the doorbell and waited for someone to answer the door. Stella opened the door and smiled when she saw her sister.

"Hey, are you ready to go?" Vanessa asked.

"Yeah" Stella said.

The sisters walked to the car and got in. Vanessa started driving.

"How are you feeling?" Stella asked.

"Fine. A little tired but I feel okay" Vanessa said.

"How's Zac?" Stella asked.

"He's fine. He's thinking about signing to do a new movie after the baby is born" Vanessa said.

"Oh, are you and the baby going to go with him?" Stella asked.

"No. I'm going to stay in LA and take care of the baby" Vanessa said.

"Where are they going to be filming?" Stella asked.

"I don't know. He's had a bunch of offers and doesn't want to take them yet because he wants to be home when the baby is born" Vanessa said.

"Oh. Have you asked him if he was going to take the offer?" Stella asked.

"No. He said he wanted to be home when the baby came so that he could help me with him. But, I don't know if he will take it after I get the hang of everything" Vanessa said.

"Maybe you should ask him. Just be honest" Stella said.

"Yeah, I will. How's everything with you?" Vanessa asked looking at Stella.

"Fine" Stella said.

Vanessa pulled into the restaurant parking lot that they were eating at and parked her car. The sisters went into the restaurant and ate. An hour later, Vanessa and Stella left the restaurant. Vanessa dropped Stella back at her house and drove home. She opened the front door of the house and walked in. Vanessa walked to Zac's office and saw him on his computer.

"How was lunch with Stellz?" Zac asked.

"It was good. Can I talk to you for a minute?" Vanessa asked.

Zac looked away from his computer and looked at Vanessa.

"What's up?" Zac asked.

"Are you going to take any of the offers that you have been recieving after the baby is born?" Vanessa asked.

"I don't know honey. I want to be here with you and him. I have no idea what I'm going to do" Zac said.

"How do you not know what you are going to do? The baby will be here in three and a half months Zac. We need to have a plan" Vanessa said.

"Van, I don't know. I'm still thinking about it. There are a lot of things on my mind that I need to sort out" Zac said.

"The baby is going to be here in three and a half months. You have contracts that need to be signed in that time frame. Don't you think that you need to figure out what you are going to do?" Vanessa asked.

Zac sighed and closed his eyes.

"I don't know what to do Vanessa. I am trying to figure that out. Give me some time" Zac said as his voice rose.

Vanessa looked down and was silent. She stood up and started walking out of the door.

"You know, if you want to leave, go ahead. I can't deal with this" Vanessa said.

Vanessa walked out of the room and went upstairs. She walked into the bedroom and closed and locked the door. Vanessa released her tears and lied down on the bed. Meanwhile downstairs, Zac sat at his desk and sighed. He didn't know what he was doing. Zac was under so much stress that he just exploded and it affected the woman he loved. He felt horrible that he got mad at Vanessa the way that he did. Zac got up from his desk and walked upstairs. He saw the bedroom door closed.

"Van, I'm sorry I acted like that. I just am under a lot of stress and I didn't mean to get angry at you like that, babe" Zac said through the door.

Vanessa opened the door and looked at Zac with tears running down her face.

"I'm sorry Van. I really am. I don't want to leave. I want to stay here with you. I just don't know if I am going to take the offers because I need to see how everything is going with you and the baby at the time. When he gets here, that is when I will decide what I am going to do" Zac said.

Vanessa nodded. She walked over to Zac and hugged him tightly. Zac wrapped his arms around her and kissed her head softly.

"Okay. I am stressed too Zac. The baby is going to be here in three months and I want to have everything figured out before he gets here" Vanessa said.

"I understand honey" Zac said.

Vanessa looked up at Zac and kissed his lips softly.

"I love you" Vanessa said.

"I love you too" Zac said.

Zac kneeled down and kissed Vanessa's bump.

"Love you bud" Zac said.

Vanessa smiled. Zac stood back up and looked at Vanessa.

"I think I am going to go take a nap. I'm really tired" Vanessa said putting her hand on her bump.

"Okay baby. Let me know if you need anything" Zac said.

Vanessa walked upstairs and went into the bedroom and fell asleep. A couple hours later, Zac walked upstairs and went into the bedroom and saw that Vanessa was sleeping. He lied down next to her on the bed and let her body naturally snuggle into his chest. Zac moved a few stray hairs away from Vanessa's face. Vanessa opened her eyes slowly and looked at Zac.

"How was your nap?" Zac asked.

"Good. I'm just tired" Vanessa said.

Zac smiled.

"Do you want me to make dinner?" Zac asked.

Vanessa shook her head.

"I will do it" Vanessa said.

"Are you sure?" Zac asked.

Vanessa just looked at Zac.

"Sorry" Zac said getting the message.

"I want to do it babe" Vanessa said getting up.

"I just don't want to put any stress on you" Zac said.

"I know, but you have to let me do some stuff Zac" Vanessa said.

"I know" Zac said.

The couple walked downstairs and went into the kitchen. Vanessa made dinner and the couple ate their food. They couldn't wait until their son was born in three months.


	10. A Turn For The Worst

The next couple of weeks became very busy. Vanessa had been trying to get things ready for when the baby came even though she was only seven months pregnant. Zac had been trying to get his work schedule set for the next year and some time off so he could come home. The couple was starting to get really excited for the baby to come. One day, Zac was in his office when he heard a crash. Zac got up quickly and jogged out of the office.

"Babe?" Zac called.

Zac heard a groan coming from upstairs. He ran upstairs and saw Vanessa in Chris' room with her hand on her bump.

"What happened?" Zac asked.

"I was putting something away and I just felt a pain in my stomach. I don't know what it was" Vanessa said.

Zac put his hand on Vanessa's stomach.

"Is the pain still there?" Zac asked.

Vanessa nodded.

"Alright, I'm going to get my keys" Zac said.

"Why are you going to get your keys?" Vanessa asked.

"I need to take you to the hospital just to be sure there is nothing wrong" Zac said.

Vanessa nodded. Zac left the room and picked up his keys. He then walked back to Chris' room.

"Are you ready to go?" Zac asked.

Vanessa nodded. Zac took her hand in his and the couple walked downstairs and left the house. Zac started driving and occasionally would look at Vanessa.

"I'm scared" Vanessa whispered.

Zac looked at Vanessa.

"I know you are baby. But we need to make sure everything is okay with you and him" Zac said.

Vanessa sighed and rubbed her bump in soothing circles. Zac pulled into the parking lot of the hospital and nurses rushed to the car and helped Vanessa sit in a wheelchair. The nurse wheeled Vanessa into the hospital and escorted the couple to a hospital room.

"Please change into this gown and Dr. Todd will be in as soon as she can" the nurse said.

"Thank you" Zac said.

The nurse left the room.

"Baby do you need some help?" Zac asked.

Vanessa nodded. Zac helped Vanessa change into the gown and helped her get into the hospital bed.

"Is the pain worse?" Zac asked.

Vanessa cried and nodded. Zac's face softened.

"Baby, take a deep breaths. It will help with the pain" Zac said.

Vanessa took a deep shaky breath and released it.

"I didn't do anything wrong" Vanessa cried.

"I know you didn't honey. Let's just see what this thing is and we will take it from there. Just relax" Zac said smoothing her hair back.

There was a knock on the door and Dr. Todd came into the room.

"Vanessa. I wasn't supposed to see you until next week. What's going on?" Dr. Todd said.

"So much pain" Vanessa managed to get out.

"Where is the pain?" Dr. Todd asked.

Vanessa pointed to her stomach.

"Alright, let me take a look and we will take it from there" Dr. Todd said.

Dr. Todd did an ultra sound, internal exam, and blood work.

"I will go drop these tests off at the lab and come back with the results in a little bit" Dr. Todd said.

Dr. Todd left the room. Zac looked at his girlfriend.

"Everything is going to be okay, Van. I promise" Zac said.

Vanessa sniffled and wiped her eyes.

"What if I had a miscarriage?" Vanessa asked.

"Hey, we are going to be positive okay? Let's just see what's going on" Zac said.

An hour later, there was a knock on the door. Dr. Todd came into the room and sat down on the edge of the hospital bed.

"So, I got your labs back and your blood pressure is very high, higher than we would like it to be. With that said, I am diagnosing you with pre-eclampsia" Dr. Todd said.

"So what do we do?" Vanessa asked.

"Well, I could give you a medication that can lower the blood pressure but it has risks and if it gets worse, we have to deliver the baby early" Dr. Todd said.

"He will be premature then" Vanessa said.

Zac took Vanessa's hand and entwined their fingers together.

"When would she have to deliver?" Zac asked.

"Within the next month" Dr. Todd said.

Vanessa had tears running down her face. Zac looked at Vanessa.

"Okay" Vanessa said.

"Alright, I want to keep you in the hospital as well until you deliver just so we can keep an eye on everything" Dr. Todd said.

Vanessa squeezed her eyes shut and choked back a sob.

"Baby, calm down" Zac said.

"I know this is hard Vanessa but it is what's best for you and for him" Dr. Todd said.

Vanessa nodded. Dr. Todd left the room. Zac looked at Vanessa.

"Sweetheart, everything is going to be okay" Zac said.

"I don't want to talk about it" Vanessa said.

Zac sighed. Vanessa was shutting him out.

"I am going to go call our parents and tell them what's going on and I will be back" Zac said.

Vanessa nodded.

"I love you" Zac said.

"I love you too" Vanessa whispered.

"Why don't you take a nap? You need to get some rest" Zac said.

Vanessa nodded. Zac left the room and sighed. He took out his phone and called his and Vanessa's parents. They all wanted to come to the hospital to see Vanessa but Zac told them not to because he didn't want Vanessa to get upset. Twenty minutes later, Zac came back into the hospital room and saw Vanessa sleeping. He sat down in the chair that was next to the hospital bed. Vanessa turned over so that her body was facing Zac. She opened her eyes slowly.

"Hey sleepyhead, how are you feeling?" Zac asked.

"Sad" Vanessa said.

Zac smiled sadly.

"I know you are honey. I am too" Zac said.

"What did our parents say?" Vanessa asked.

"They are concerned but I told them that Dr. Todd has everything under control" Zac said.

"I feel bad that I am putting everyone through this. I'm sorry for putting you through this" Vanessa said quietly.

"Hey, listen to me. Things happen Van. Could you have prevented it? Yeah, but this is what's happening now and there isn't anything that we can do sweetheart" Zac said.

Vanessa put her hand on her bump.

"It just sucks" Vanessa said.

"I know it does babe" Zac said.

"I wish this never happened" Vanessa said.

Zac looked down at his hands.

"Van, you don't mean that. I know you are upset. If you had not gotten pregnant, we wouldn't have worked everything out and I wouldn't be sitting here with you" Zac said.

Vanessa started to cry. Zac's face softened. He knew what he said was a little harsh but it was the truth.

"So the only reason we got back together is for the baby?" Vanessa asked angrily.

"No Van. Just forget it" Zac said.

There was a knock at the door and a nurse with dark long haired poked her head into the room.

"Zac, there is someone that wants to see you" the nurse said.

Zac looked at the nurse and shook his head and looked back at Vanessa.

"No fans. This is a private matter" Zac said.

"It's your brother" the nurse said.

Zac looked at the nurse and then at Vanessa.

"I'll be right back" Zac said.

Vanessa nodded and put her hand on her bump. Zac left the room and went to the waiting room and Dylan stood up. Zac walked over to Dylan and the brothers hugged. They then sat down and looked at each other.

"How is she?" Dylan asked.

"She's not doing well. She said she wishes that she never got pregnant" Zac said.

"Zac, she says stuff like that when she's mad. You know that she doesn't mean it" Dylan said.

"I told her that if she never got pregnant then we wouldn't have worked out our problems and gotten back together" Zac said.

Dylan sighed.

"You shouldn't have told her that" Dylan said.

"I know but I'm just frustrated. I'm scared and I don't know what to do, Dyl" Zac said putting his head in his hands.

Dylan put his hand on his brother's back.

"Zac, there isn't anything you can do. This just happened. We just need to be there for Van and give her all the support that we can" Dylan said.

Zac nodded and took a deep breath.

"Come on, let's go see if Van is awake" Dylan said.

The two brothers got up and walked to Vanessa's hospital room. Zac opened the door and they walked into the room. Vanessa turned over and looked at Zac and Dylan.

"Hey beautiful, how are you feeling?" Dylan asked sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Stressed and upset" Vanessa said.

"You need to relax and stay calm. That is what got you in here Van. Whatever the problem is, don't even think about. What you and Zac are going through, don't think about it. You need to be completely calm. If you don't do that, then there will be problems that may harm you and the baby. Your doctor doesn't want you or the baby to be in any harm" Dylan said.

Zac looked at Dylan, stunned of what he was saying to Vanessa. He looked at Vanessa, who was listening to her "little brother".

"I am only saying this because I love you and I don't want anything to happen to you or my nephew" Dylan said.

Vanessa nodded.

"I'll try" Vanessa said.

"No, you can't try Van. You have to do it" Dylan said.

"Okay" Vanessa said.

Vanessa looked at Zac.

"I'm sorry for freaking out on you earlier" Vanessa said.

Zac smiled and walked over to the hospital bed and kissed Vanessa's cheek.

"I love you. I am just trying to keep you and the baby safe. I'm sorry for saying what I said about us getting back together. It was out of line and I shouldn't have said it" Zac said.

Vanessa nodded.

"I love you too" Vanessa said wrapping her arms around Zac's neck.

Zac wrapped his arms around Vanessa and kissed her head softly. Dylan smiled.

"That's the couple I know and I love" Dylan said.

Zac and Vanessa smiled.

"Thanks Dylan, for telling me like it is" Vanessa said.

"Hey, I only speak the truth" Dylan said holding his hands up.

Vanessa giggled. The couple and Dylan talked for a little while longer until Dylan needed to leave. Zac walked his brother out of the hospital and came back to Vanessa's hospital room. He walked in and smiled at Vanessa.

"How are you feeling?" Zac asked.

"Better" Vanessa said.

Zac smiled.

"Good" Zac said sitting in the chair that was next to the hospital bed.

Zac put his hand on Vanessa's bump and felt his son kick his hand. He moved Vanessa's gown up, so that her bare stomach was showing. Zac kissed Vanessa's bump softly.

"Hey buddy, give mommy a little break okay?" Zac said.

Vanessa smiled.

"He's been beating me up all day" Vanessa said.

Zac smiled and kissed her bump.

"What do you think Chris will look like?" Vanessa asked.

"I think he will look like me but with your brown hair and personality" Zac said.

Vanessa smiled. She looked around the hospital room and her breathing sped up. Zac looked at Vanessa.

"Are you okay baby?" Zac asked.

"I just realized that this room is probably where I will give birth and it's starting to freak me out" Vanessa said.

"Hey, calm down. Just take a deep breath and let it out" Zac said.

Vanessa took a deep breath and released it.

"I'm scared to push him out" Vanessa said.

"I know you are. But everything is going to be okay, like I have told you before. I'm not leaving your side when it happens" Zac said putting his hand on Vanessa's stomach.

Vanessa nodded. Zac leaned over and kissed Vanessa's lips.

"I love you" Vanessa said.

"I love you too honey" Zac said.

That night, Zac had gone home to bring some things for him and Vanessa. He knocked on the door and walked into the hospital room.

"I brought you a bunch of stuff because I didn't know what you wanted and didn't want" Zac said.

"Okay, thank you honey" Vanessa said.

"No problem" Zac said.

Later that night, Zac was on his laptop and Vanessa was trying to fall asleep. Vanessa felt the same pain that she had felt earlier.

"Zac?" Vanessa called.

Zac looked up and put his computer down and got up and walked over to the bed.

"What's wrong?" Zac asked.

"I feel the pain again" Vanessa said putting her hand on her bump.

Zac put his hand on Vanessa's bump.

"Just take deep breaths. Everything is okay. Just relax" Zac said.

Vanessa nodded and took a deep breath and released it.

"You are probably stressed out about being in the hospital" Zac said.

Vanessa took another deep breath and released it.

"Better?" Zac asked.

Vanessa nodded.

"Thank you" Vanessa said.

"Don't thank me. It's my job" Zac said as he kissed Vanessa's forehead.

"I think I am going to try to go to sleep" Vanessa said.

"Go for it Van. If you need anything, I will be right here" Zac said.

Vanessa smiled.

"I love you" Vanessa said.

"I love you too sweetheart. Get some sleep" Zac said.

Zac walked back to the couch that he was previously sitting on and watched Vanessa fall asleep. A couple minutes later, Zac felt sleep take over him and fell asleep. The next morning, Zac woke up to hearing machines beeping. He looked around and remembered that he was in the hospital with Vanessa. Zac looked at the hospital bed and saw Vanessa sound asleep. He smiled. Vanessa needed to sleep more than anything. An hour later, Vanessa started to stir and she opened her eyes and looked at her boyfriend.

"How are you feeling today sweetheart?" Zac asked.

"Fine, just really tired" Vanessa said.

Zac smiled.

"Maybe your body is telling you that you need to relax" Zac suggested.

Vanessa shrugged. Zac's phone started ringing. He looked at the caller ID.

"It's Stella. I am going to talk to her in the hallway and come back" Zac said.

Vanessa nodded. Zac walked out of the hospital room and answered the phone.

"Hi Stell" Zac said.

"Zaccy, what's going on?" Stella asked.

"Van's in the hospital. Her blood pressure is really high and the doctor wants to keep her here. She also wants Van to be induced" Zac said.

"Is she okay?" Stella asked.

"She's a little emotional but other than that, she's okay" Zac said.

"Alright. Is she up for any visitors? I'm really worried about her" Stella said.

Zac smiled.

"I know you are worried Stella. I am too. I have been telling everyone not to come over here because I want her to be as stress-free as possible" Zac said.

"So I shouldn't come?" Stella asked.

"Let me talk to Van and see how she is feeling and I will let you know okay? Don't worry Stella, she's in good hands. I promise" Zac said.

"Okay. I love you Zac. Tell Van I love her please" Stella said.

"I love you too and I will" Zac said.

Stella and Zac hung up. Zac walked back into Vanessa's hospital room and looked at his girlfriend.

"How's Stella?" Vanessa asked.

"She's fine. She wants to come and see you. But I told her that I wanted to see how you were first before I gave her an answer" Zac said.

"I feel fine" Vanessa said.

"Baby, this is serious. You can't work yourself up when Stella is here okay?" Zac said.

"Okay" Vanessa said.

"I will tell her that she can come, but you have to promise me that you won't stress yourself out" Zac said.

"I promise" Vanessa said.

"Alright. Let me call Stella and see what the plan is" Zac said.

"Okay" Vanessa said.

Zac walked out of the room and called Stella. Ten minutes later, Zac came back into the room.

"She's on her way" Zac said.

"Okay" Vanessa said.

An hour later, there was a knock at the door. Zac walked to the door and opened it and smiled when he saw Stella.

"Hey" Stella said.

"Hey, come on in" Zac said.

Stella walked into the hospital room slowly and looked at her sister.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" Stella asked.

"Tired. I've calmed down a lot" Vanessa said.

"That's good, Van. What did the doctor say?" Stella asked.

"She said that she wants to induce me because of my blood pressure" Vanessa said.

"Did she tell you when?" Stella asked.

"Not yet. She wants to keep an eye on me for a little while and then she will decide" Vanessa said.

"If you guys need anything, let me know. I will bring stuff from the house if you need it" Stella said.

"Thank you" Vanessa and Zac both said.

"Are you allowed to walk around?" Stella asked.

"I don't know. I think I am but I'm not sure" Vanessa said.

"Oh. Did you tell mom?" Stella asked.

"Yeah. She's worried" Vanessa said taking a deep breath.

Stella looked at Zac. Zac looked at Stella.

"Are you okay Van?" Zac asked.

"Yeah, I just have a lot of anxiety right now" Vanessa said.

Vanessa closed her eyes and took a couple of deep breaths. She opened her eyes and looked at Zac.

"I think I should go. I just wanted to come and see how you were doing" Stella said.

Vanessa smiled.

"Thanks for coming, Stell. I appreciate it" Vanessa said.

Stella hugged her sister.

"Stay strong, Van. Don't let it get to you" Stella whispered.

Vanessa nodded.

"I love you" Vanessa said.

"I love you too. Let me know if anything happens" Stella said.

"I will" Vanessa said.

Stella left the room. Vanessa closed her eyes and took a deep breath and released it.

"Don't stress yourself out" Zac said.

"Sorry" Vanessa said.

Zac pulled up the chair that was next to the bed so that he could sit in front of Vanessa.

"Take a nap, Van. You need your rest" Zac said.

Vanessa nodded and turned to her side and fell asleep. Vanessa slept the rest of the day. Zac hoped that Vanessa would remain calm and that everything would be okay.


	11. Stress Kills

The next morning, Vanessa woke up and saw Zac sleeping on the couch that was next to her hospital bed. She felt so bad for him. Vanessa got out of bed quietly and carefully and took a blanket from her bed and placed it over Zac's body. She kissed his head softly. Zac opened his eyes and saw Vanessa standing over him.

"You are supposed to be in bed" Zac said.

"I know but you needed a blanket" Vanessa said.

Zac pointed to the bed. Vanessa got into bed and looked over at her boyfriend.

"Am I going to stay in bed all day today?" Vanessa asked.

"Yes" Zac said.

Feeling tension, Vanessa looked down at her hands.

"I didn't mean to make you mad" Vanessa said.

Zac looked at Vanessa.

"I'm not mad, babe. I'm just frustrated and stressed" Zac said.

"I'm sorry that I upset you" Vanessa said.

"Van listen to me. I want to help you. I want to help bring our baby into this world. I'm stressed out because I'm scared. I'm scared that something is going to happen to you or to him. You need to let me help you" Zac said.

Vanessa nodded.

"You can't be getting out of bed right now because we don't know what you can and cannot do. We need to wait for Dr. Todd to come and tell us" Zac said.

"Okay" Vanessa said quietly.

Zac's face softened. He put his hands on his face and rubbed it up and down. Zac took his hands off of his face and looked at Vanessa, who had turned so she wasn't facing him. He got up and walked over to the hospital bed and lied down next to Vanessa.

"Baby, look at me" Zac said.

"No, because you are stressed and I don't want to stress you out more" Vanessa said as she started to cry.

Zac carefully turned Vanessa so she was looking at him.

"Vanessa, I'm sorry I got mad like that. I just want what's best for you and our baby. That's all sweetheart" Zac said.

Vanessa sniffled. Zac wrapped his arms around Vanessa.

"When Dr. Todd comes in, we will ask her what you are allowed and not allowed to do" Zac said.

Vanessa nodded.

"Can I have a kiss?" Vanessa asked.

Zac smiled and leaned in and kissed Vanessa's lips softly. Vanessa pulled back and looked at Zac.

"I love you so much Van. You do know that right?" Zac asked.

"Yeah. I love you too. I know you are stressed too" Vanessa said.

There was a knock at the door and Dr. Todd came into the room.

"Good morning, how's everything going today?" Dr. Todd asked.

"She's really stressed out. I have been trying to help her keep her stress level down but nothing seems to be working" Zac said.

Dr. Todd looked at Vanessa.

"Vanessa" Dr. Todd started.

Vanessa looked at Zac.

"I think that we need to deliver the baby as soon as possible" Dr. Todd said.

"No" Vanessa cried.

"Vanessa, if the baby stays in there, it could create even more problems for you and for him as well. Once the baby is out, we will be able to control the situation" Dr. Todd explained.

Vanessa just cried.

"Just save him" Vanessa said quietly.

"I will go start the paper work and a nurse will come in and start the induction okay?" Dr. Todd said.

"Okay" Vanessa said.

"Vanessa, your son is going to be okay" Dr. Todd said.

Vanessa nodded. Dr. Todd left the room. Vanessa looked at Zac. Zac looked at Vanessa.

"I'm so sorry" Vanessa cried.

"Baby, don't be sorry. He's going to be okay" Zac said taking Vanessa into his arms.

Vanessa wrapped her arms around Zac's neck and took a deep breath and released it. A nurse who was probably in her mid thirties came into the room.

"Hi Vanessa. I'm Amy and I will be your nurse for labor and delivery. I am going to insert the IV with the medication to start the contractions okay?" Amy said.

"Okay" Vanessa said sitting back in her original position.

Amy inserted the IV and made sure everything was in place.

"Alright, you are all set" Amy said.

Amy left the room.

"Can you call our families and tell them what's going on?" Vanessa asked.

"Yeah, are you going to be okay?" Zac asked.

"Yeah" Vanessa said.

Zac kissed Vanessa's lips.

"I love you baby" Zac said.

"I love you too" Vanessa said.

Zac left the room. Vanessa put her hand on her bump.

"I can't wait to meet you Chris" Vanessa said.

Ten minutes later, Zac came back into the room and sat down in his seat.

"How are you feeling?" Zac asked.

"No contractions" Vanessa said.

"They will start soon" Zac said.

"Yeah, but then that means pain" Vanessa said.

Zac smiled.

"You are going to be fine. I'm not leaving. I'm turning my phone and yours off so that there is no distractions and we are going to have a baby. We are going to do this together" Zac said turning his phone off and then Vanessa's.

Vanessa nodded. An hour later, Vanessa was watching television and there were no signs of labor starting. Zac, who was sitting in his seat, looked at Vanessa.

"Do you feel anything yet babe?" Zac asked.

"No, when is this going to start? The anxiety is killing me" Vanessa said.

Zac smiled.

"Just relax. It will start soon" Zac said.

"Have you heard from our families?" Vanessa asked.

"No, my phone is off remember" Zac said.

"Oh yeah, I forgot" Vanessa said.

"Why don't you take a nap Van? You may still have a while until it starts" Zac said.

"Okay" Vanessa said turning to her side and falling asleep.

Three hours later, Vanessa was sleeping peacefully and Zac was watching television waiting for something to happen. Zac couldn't wait to see his son and finally hold him. He was pulled out of his thoughts when he heard Vanessa moan in her sleep. Zac got up and walked over to Vanessa and sat on the edge of the bed.

"Honey, are you okay?" Zac asked.

Vanessa opened her eyes and looked at her boyfriend.

"That was a contraction" Vanessa said.

Zac smiled and moved a stray hair from Vanessa's face.

"That means that you are in labor. Congratulations" Zac said.

"Gee, thanks" Vanessa said sarcastically.

Zac kissed Vanessa's head softly.

"We need to time them" Zac said.

Vanessa nodded. Over the next couple hours, Vanessa started having contractions every ten minutes. She was exhausted and just wanted her baby in her arms.

"Zac, there's a contraction" Vanessa said.

Zac looked at Vanessa and took her hand in his.

"Breathe baby, just breathe" Zac said.

Vanessa breathed through the contraction. Once it ended, Vanessa looked at Zac, tiredly.

"You are doing great Van. I'm so proud of you" Zac said.

Vanessa looked at Zac and moaned. There was a knock at the door and Dr. Todd walked into the room.

"Hi guys. How are you feeling Vanessa?" Dr. Todd asked.

"Pain" Vanessa said.

"You do have the option of getting an epidural" Dr. Todd said.

"I don't want it" Vanessa said.

Zac rubbed Vanessa's back soothingly.

"I need to check you and see how things are going" Dr. Todd said.

Vanessa separated her legs and took Zac's hand in hers. Dr. Todd examined Vanessa and came up smiling.

"You are at a two. You have a long way to go honey" Dr. Todd said.

Vanessa and Zac nodded.

"Just breathe and relax" Dr. Todd said.

"Okay" Vanessa said.

Dr. Todd left the room. Vanessa looked at Zac.

"8 more until we have a baby" Zac said.

Vanessa put her head back against the bed and groaned.

"This is going to take forever" Vanessa said.

Zac kissed Vanessa's head softly. Vanessa squeezed her eyes shut.

"Breathe sweetheart, it's okay. Just relax" Zac said.

Vanessa breathed through the contraction and relaxed.

"Good job baby" Zac said.

Vanessa looked at Zac tiredly.

"I don't want to do this anymore" Vanessa said.

Zac smiled.

"You are doing it sweetie. We are so close to our baby" Zac said.

Hours went by and Vanessa was exhausted and frustrated. She just wanted this baby out. Vanessa was trying to fall asleep when she looked at Zac.

"Contraction?" Zac asked.

"No, I think I want to push" Vanessa said.

Zac's eyes widened.

"Don't push yet Van. Let's call Dr. Todd and see" Zac said pressing the call button.

A few minutes later, Dr. Todd came into the room.

"What's up?" Dr. Todd asked.

"I want to push" Vanessa said.

"Let me check you and see where you are at" Dr. Todd said sitting on the edge of the bed.

Vanessa spread her legs apart and Dr. Todd checked her and looked up.

"Vanessa, you are only at a five. You can't push yet" Dr. Todd said.

Vanessa started crying. Zac rubbed Vanessa's back soothingly.

"I know you are tired and just want your baby in your arms. But you have to wait. Don't push" Dr. Todd said.

"Thank you Dr. Todd" Zac said.

Dr. Todd left the room. Zac looked at Vanessa.

"Baby, just try and take a nap" Zac said.

"I can't take a nap. I'm in pain" Vanessa said.

Zac put his hand on Vanessa's lower back.

"I want to push him out" Vanessa said.

"Don't Van. You heard Dr. Todd. Do not push. You are halfway" Zac said.

"It hurts so bad" Vanessa said.

"I know it does honey. You need to relax and focus on your breathing like Dr. Todd told you" Zac said.

Vanessa took a deep breath and looked at Zac. Zac took Vanessa's hand in his and kissed it.

"I'm really proud of you babe" Zac said.

Vanessa moaned and started breathing heavily.

"Just breathe Van, you are doing great" Zac said.

Vanessa breathed through the contraction and looked at Zac. She then gasped.

"What's wrong?" Zac asked worried.

"My water broke" Vanessa said.

"Okay. Just relax. I will go call the nurse" Zac said pressing the call button.

A couple minutes later, Amy came in and smiled.

"What's going on?" Amy asked.

"My water broke" Vanessa said.

"Alright, I will let Dr. Todd know" Amy said writing down notes in Vanessa's file.

Amy left the room. Zac looked at Vanessa and smiled.

"Why did it take so long for my water to break?" Vanessa asked.

"I don't know honey, but at least things are going to start moving" Zac said.

"Yeah" Vanessa said.

An hour later, Vanessa was curled into a ball and gripping Zac's hand for dear life. The contractions were coming fast and Vanessa barely had time to breathe in between them. Zac's phone rang and he looked at the caller ID.

"Hello?" Zac answered.

"Zac, how's Van?" Starla asked.

"She's doing okay. She's at five right now and her water broke an hour ago" Zac said.

"Do you want me to come to the hospital?" Starla asked.

"No, we want to do this on our own. I will call you when the baby is born" Zac said.

"Okay, how's everything else?" Starla asked.

"I can't really talk right now mom. I will tell you everything after the baby comes" Zac said.

"Alright. I love you and tell Vanessa I love her" Starla said.

"I love you too mom" Zac said.

Zac and Starla hung up.

"I thought you turned your phone off" Vanessa said painfully.

"I did babe. But I turned it back on to give our parents an update" Zac said.

"Can you turn it off?" Vanessa asked.

"Yeah" Zac said.

Zac turned his phone off and looked at Vanessa.

"We are so close to our baby, Van" Zac said.

Vanessa smiled and nodded but was hit with the strongest contraction yet. She cried and gripped Zac's hand harder.

"Breathe baby girl. It's okay" Zac said.

"Ow" Vanessa moaned.

Vanessa breathed through the contraction and then relaxed.

"They are coming so fast" Vanessa said.

"I know" Zac said.

There was a knock on the door and Dr. Todd came into the room.

"How are you doing?" Dr. Todd asked.

"In a lot of pain" Vanessa said.

"I need to check you" Dr. Todd said.

"Okay" Vanessa said spreading her legs apart.

Dr. Todd examined Vanessa and smiled.

"You are at eight" Dr. Todd said.

Zac smiled and looked at Vanessa.

"That's great babe" Zac said.

Vanessa nodded tiredly.

"I've been in labor for over twenty four hours. This baby better come today" Vanessa said.

Dr. Todd giggled.

"He will, don't worry. Just rest" Dr. Todd said.

Vanessa nodded. Dr. Todd left the room.

"We are so close Van" Zac said moving the sweaty hair away from her face.

"We are only having one child so this one better be worth it to you. I'm not going through this pain again" Vanessa said.

Zac smiled and kissed her forehead.

"I love you" Zac said.

"I love you too" Vanessa said.

An hour later, Amy came into the room.

"Dr. Todd wants me to check you" Amy said.

"Okay" Vanessa said spreading her legs apart.

Amy checked Vanessa.

"You are fully dilated" Amy said.

Zac smiled.

"So I can push now right?" Vanessa asked.

"Let me go get Dr. Todd and then you can start" Amy said.

Amy left the room. Vanessa put her head against the bed and took a deep breath.

"You okay?" Zac asked.

"Contractions have stopped but I need to push" Vanessa said.

"Don't push yet, sweetie" Zac said kissing Vanessa's cheek.

Dr. Todd and Amy came back into the room.

"Alright Vanessa, are you ready to meet your baby?" Dr. Todd asked.

Vanessa nodded. Dr. Todd separated Vanessa's legs apart.

"Zac, you hold one of her legs and Amy will hold the other one" Dr. Todd said.

Zac held Vanessa's leg and Amy held the other one. Vanessa squeezed her eyes shut.

"I need to push" Vanessa said.

"Vanessa, listen to me carefully okay? On the next contraction, I want you to push" Dr. Todd said.

"Okay" Vanessa said.

A couple seconds later, Vanessa moaned in pain.

"Are you having a contraction?" Dr. Todd asked.

Vanessa nodded.

"Okay, take a deep breath and push" Dr. Todd said.

Vanessa took a deep breath and pushed.

"Good job babe" Zac said.

Vanessa fell against the bed and sighed.

"Here's another one" Vanessa said.

Vanessa pushed hard and tears ran down her cheeks.

"It hurts" Vanessa said.

"You are doing great Van" Zac said.

This continued for an hour and a half. Vanessa was exhausted and her face was bright red.

"A couple more pushes until the head is out" Dr. Todd said.

Vanessa pushed as hard as she could. Zac put a cold washcloth on Vanessa's forehead.

"One more push Vanessa until the head is out" Dr. Todd said.

"One more push honey" Zac said.

Vanessa pushed hard and screamed.

"The head is out. Good work, Vanessa" Dr. Todd said.

Zac kissed Vanessa's head softly.

"I can't push anymore" Vanessa said.

"Baby, he is almost out" Zac said.

"I can't do it" Vanessa said.

"Vanessa, the baby just needs one more big push and he will out" Dr. Todd said.

Vanessa looked at Zac tiredly.

"You can do this Van" Zac said.

Vanessa took a deep breath and pushed hard. She ignored all of the encouraging words that Zac and Dr. Todd were telling her and just focused on getting the baby out. Vanessa stopped pushing when she heard a cry.

"Van, he's here" Zac said.

Vanessa fell back against the bed tiredly. Dr. Todd placed the baby onto Vanessa's chest.

"Hi Chris" Vanessa said looking at her son.

Zac and Vanessa were so happy that their son was finally here even though it was hard.


	12. A First Glimpse At Parenthood

Vanessa looked down at her son and couldn't help but cry. She couldn't believe that that baby came out of her body. Vanessa looked at Zac with tears running down her face and saw Zac in tears as well.

"I'm so proud of you baby" Zac said.

"I love you. Every pain and problem was worth it" Vanessa said.

Zac kissed Vanessa's lips softly.

"I love you too, so much. I can't believe he's here" Zac said.

"Vanessa, we need to take him to go get checked out by a pediatrician and we will give him right back" Amy said.

"Okay" Vanessa said.

Amy picked Chris up and walked away. Zac looked at Vanessa.

"We are parents" Zac said.

Vanessa nodded with tears running down her face.

"I'm still in complete shock that he's here" Vanessa said.

Zac smiled.

"Everything that we have gone through in the past nine months has been worth it. We may fight and yell but at the end of the day, we love each other so much. I could never see myself with you or Chris. You both are my life and I love you guys more than you will ever know" Zac said.

Vanessa was sobbing. She leaned over and kissed Zac's lips. Zac pulled away and smiled. Dr. Todd came back over to the bed.

"Vanessa, we need to deliver the placenta. You need to push one more time" Dr. Todd said.

"Okay" Vanessa said.

Vanessa spread her legs and took a deep breath and pushed. The placenta came out and Vanessa looked at Zac. Amy came back over to the bed with Chris, who had a blue beanie on and was wrapped in a blanket.

"Here's your son, Vanessa" Amy said placing Chris into her arms.

Vanessa looked at Chris and smiled.

"Hi sweetheart, I'm your mommy" Vanessa said.

Zac smiled and sat on the edge of the bed.

"He has your hair" Zac said.

Vanessa looked at her son.

"He has your nose" Vanessa said.

Vanessa looked at Chris and kissed his head softly.

"I love you baby" Vanessa said looking at Chris.

Zac smiled.

"Babe, sit next to me" Vanessa said.

Vanessa moved over carefully and Zac lied down next to Vanessa. Vanessa placed Chris into his arms. Zac looked down at his son.

"How do you feel daddy?" Vanessa asked.

Zac smiled and looked at Vanessa.

"I'm speechless. I'm so happy. I don't even have words to explain it" Zac said.

Vanessa smiled and leaned her head against Zac's shoulder.

"He's perfect" Vanessa said.

"Yeah he is. How are you feeling?" Zac asked.

"I feel sore but I don't even care" Vanessa said.

Zac kissed Vanessa's head.

"When should we call everybody?" Vanessa asked.

"Let's call them tomorrow, just so that we can have time with him before the grandmother's get a hold of him" Zac said.

Vanessa giggled and looked at her son in Zac's arms.

"I can't believe that he's ours" Vanessa said.

"I know" Zac said.

Amy came back into the room and smiled.

"How are we doing in here?" Amy asked.

"Fine" Vanessa said.

"I need to take him to the nursery to have some tests done because he was premature" Amy said.

"Okay" Vanessa said placing Chris into Amy's arms.

"I'll be back in a little while" Amy said.

"Alright" Vanessa said.

Amy left the room. Vanessa looked at Zac and smiled. Zac looked at Vanessa and smiled. Vanessa carefully moved so that she could snuggle into Zac's chest. A thought came to Zac's mind.

"Are you going to breastfeed?" Zac asked.

Vanessa looked at Zac.

"I want to but I heard that it hurts" Vanessa said.

"So what do you want to do?" Zac asked.

"I will try it and see if it feels okay. If I don't like it, I will give him formula" Vanessa said.

"Okay, I just didn't know what the plan was" Zac said.

Vanessa nodded.

"I'm glad you are here" Vanessa said randomly.

Zac smiled and kissed Vanessa's lips softly.

"I couldn't have gone through this pregnancy or birth without you. You are the one that gave me strength to do what I did today" Vanessa said.

"I'm glad that I am here too. I wouldn't have let you go through it by yourself. Even if it wasn't my baby. I still would have gone through everything with you because I love you" Zac said.

Vanessa smiled and kissed Zac's chest.

"You are going to be a great dad, Zac. I want you to know that" Vanessa said.

Zac smiled.

"You are going to be a great mom. I already see how amazing you are with Chris and it's not mother's intuition" Zac said.

Vanessa smiled. The couple was so happy that their son was finally here and safe. The next day, Vanessa was sleeping soundly. She hadn't gotten any sleep in the forty-eight hours that she was in labor. Zac woke up and stretched his body out. He remembered that Chris was here and he smiled. Zac got up carefully and changed his clothes. He put his sweatshirt on and put his hood over his head. Zac walked out of the hospital room and walked down the hall to the nursery and went to the front desk.

"Are you here to pick up your son?" Amy asked.

"Yeah, Vanessa is still sleeping so I thought I would come and get him" Zac said.

Amy walked to a bassinet that was labeled "Efron" and brought the baby over to Zac. She placed Chris into Zac's arms.

"Thank you" Zac said.

Zac walked down the hall quickly and carefully so that he wouldn't be seen by anyone. Once he got to Vanessa's hospital room, Zac opened the door and walked in. He closed the door behind him. Zac looked at the hospital bed and smiled when he saw Vanessa still sleeping. He walked over to the chair that he had been sitting in and sat down with his son in his arms.

"Your mommy is exhausted from having you buddy. Why did you have to give her such a hard time hm?" Zac asked.

Zac heard movement coming from the hospital bed and looked at the woman lying in it. Vanessa turned over so that she was facing Zac and opened her eyes slowly.

"Good morning sleepyhead" Zac said.

Vanessa smiled.

"How is he doing?" Vanessa asked.

"He's fine. Getting him out of the nursery was a challenge" Zac said.

"Why?" Vanessa asked.

"I don't want people seeing him right now. We don't need all of that attention yet. I literally had to pull a mission impossible to get him back in here without anyone seeing me" Zac said.

Vanessa giggled.

"I want to hold him" Vanessa said.

"You aren't going to go back to sleep?" Zac asked.

"No, I'm exhausted but I'm also really hyper" Vanessa said.

Zac laughed.

"How does that work?" Zac asked.

Vanessa shrugged. Zac got up and walked over to the bed and placed Chris into Vanessa's arms. Vanessa looked down at her son and smiled. She put her hand on his back.

"For being so tiny, he was hard to push out" Vanessa said.

"Yeah" Zac said.

"When do you want to call our families?" Vanessa asked.

"We could call them now" Zac suggested.

"Okay" Vanessa said.

"I'll be right back" Zac said.

Zac left the room and called their families and told them that Chris had arrived. Ten minutes later, Zac walked back into the room and saw Amy with Vanessa.

"What's going on?" Zac asked.

"She's going to teach me how to breastfeed" Vanessa said.

Vanessa turned back to Amy.

"Now, you need to pull your gown down a little bit" Amy started.

Vanessa pulled her gown down, exposing one breast.

"Alright, now hold him close to you" Amy said.

Vanessa held Chris close and watched him latch onto her. She smiled and looked up.

"There you go. I will come back later and check how things are going" Amy said.

"Thank you" Vanessa said.

Amy left the room. Zac sat down in his seat and watched Vanessa and their son.

"Does it hurt?" Zac asked.

"No, he's pulling but it doesn't hurt" Vanessa said.

Zac smiled.

"Our families are on their way here" Zac said.

"Okay" Vanessa said.

"I love you" Zac said.

"I love you too" Vanessa said.

"It's still crazy to me that he's here" Zac said.

Vanessa smiled and saw Chris pull away from her. She picked him up and patted his back gently until he burped.

"There you go baby. Can you hold him while I go change?" Vanessa asked.

"Do you even have to ask?" Zac asked opening his arms.

Vanessa carefully placed Chris into Zac's arms. She then got out of bed and stood up. Vanessa moaned in pain.

"What's wrong?" Zac asked.

"I'm really sore" Vanessa said.

"Take it easy Van" Zac said.

Vanessa walked to the bathroom and took a shower. Twenty minutes later, Vanessa came out of the bathroom, feeling refreshed. She walked back to the bed and lied back down.

"When did our parents say they were coming?" Vanessa asked.

"They should be here soon" Zac said.

As if on cue, there was a knock at the door. Starla Efron poked her head in and smiled.

"Hi guys, where's our grandson?" Starla asked.

Vanessa smiled and pointed to Zac. Starla and Gina walked over and looked at Chris.

"He's beautiful" Gina said.

"Thanks" Vanessa said.

"How was labor?" Starla asked.

"Exhausting. Forty-eight hours of labor. How is that even possible?" Vanessa asked.

The two women smiled.

"I was in labor with you for fourteen hours" Gina said.

Vanessa sighed.

"Who wants to hold him first?" Zac asked.

"Starla you go first" Gina said.

"Alright" Starla said.

Zac carefully put his son into Starla's arms. Starla looked at the infant that was in her arms.

"He's gorgeous. He looks just like his daddy" Starla said.

Zac and Vanessa smiled.

"I think he looks more like Van than me" Zac said.

"He looks like you when you were a baby" Starla said.

Starla kissed Chris' head softly and carefully put him into Gina's arms. Gina looked at her grandson.

"I agree. He looks a lot like Zac" Gina said.

Zac and Vanessa looked at each other and shrugged. The couple and their mothers talked for a little while longer until they told Vanessa that she needed to get some rest. Zac walked their mothers out and came back a couple minutes later.

"When can I go home?" Vanessa asked.

"I don't know baby. When Amy comes back, we can ask her" Zac said.

As if on cue, Amy came into the room.

"Hey, how's he doing?" Amy asked.

"He's doing fine. I think his grandmother's wiped him out" Vanessa said looking at her son in her arms.

"When can she go home?" Zac asked.

"Let me check with Dr. Todd and see when you can be discharged" Amy said.

"Okay" Zac said.

Amy left the room. Vanessa looked at Chris in her arms.

"He's dead asleep" Vanessa said.

Zac smiled.

"Let him sleep" Zac said.

Vanessa kissed her son's head. A few minutes later, Dr. Todd came in.

"Hey there, how's he doing?" Dr. Todd asked.

"He's sleeping. He must be exhausted from being pushed around all day yesterday" Vanessa said.

Dr. Todd smiled.

"Let me check you out and see how everything is going. If everything looks okay, then I will discharge you tonight" Dr. Todd said.

"Okay" Vanessa said.

Dr. Todd did a head to toe exam and wrote some notes in Vanessa's file.

"Everything looks good. One thing to look out for in the next few weeks is that your emotions are going to be everywhere. They are going to try to get back to what they used to be and that's normal" Dr. Todd said.

"Alright" Vanessa said looking at Zac.

"More mood swings" Zac said.

"Sorry baby" Vanessa said.

Zac smiled.

"It's okay. I just want you back to normal" Zac said.

"Alright, I will see you guys later. Congratulations" Dr. Todd said.

Dr. Todd left the room.

"Are you ready to get out of here?" Zac asked.

"Yeah, how are we going to get out of here without anyone seeing us?" Vanessa asked.

"I will take him and you walk behind me" Zac said.

"Okay" Vanessa said.

Zac, who had brought the car seat up to the hospital room, put the seat on the bed. Vanessa got up with Chris in her arms and placed him into the car seat. Zac buckled his son into the seat and picked up the seat.

"Are you ready?" Zac asked.

"Yeah" Vanessa said.

"Just walk behind me okay?" Zac said.

Vanessa nodded. The couple walked out of the hospital room and left the hospital. Hundreds of photographers were standing outside of the hospital. Vanessa entwined her fingers with Zac's. The couple got to their car and put Chris in the backseat. Zac and Vanessa got into the car and sighed.

"That was crazier than I thought it was going to be" Vanessa said.

"Yeah, but at least we can go home and be in the comfort of our own home" Zac said.

Zac drove home and parked his car. He locked the gate behind them and walked back to the car. Vanessa opened the backseat door and heard Chris crying. She unbuckled Chris from his car seat and held him in her arms.

"It's okay baby. Don't cry. We are home" Vanessa said.

The little family walked into the house. Vanessa walked into the living room and sat down on the couch with Chris. She lied Chris on her chest and watched him fall asleep. Zac came into the room and smiled.

"He just fell asleep" Vanessa said.

"Do you want me to bring him upstairs?" Zac asked.

Vanessa nodded. Zac walked over and he carefully lifted his son out of Vanessa's arms and walked upstairs. He walked into the guest room that he had made into Chris' room and placed him in his crib. Zac walked downstairs and went into the living room and saw Vanessa crying. He walked over to the couch and sat next to her. Vanessa snuggled into Zac's chest. Zac rubbed Vanessa's back soothingly.

"What's wrong baby?" Zac asked.

"It's like I have some sort of separation anxiety or something. I'm sad that Chris isn't in me anymore. I miss feeling his little feet kick me and everything" Vanessa cried.

Zac smiled and kissed her head knowing that she was having a mood swing that Dr. Todd had told them about.

"Van, he's upstairs" Zac said.

"I know that. I'm happy he's here but I miss the feeling of him being inside me as weird as that sounds" Vanessa said.

"You have a bond with our son because you carried him for nine months. That's normal babe. It's not weird" Zac said.

Vanessa sniffled.

"Sorry for being so emotional" Vanessa said.

Zac put his finger under Vanessa's chin and brought it up so she was looking into his eyes.

"Hey, I understand. Don't apologize Van. It's okay" Zac said.

Vanessa wrapped her arms around Zac's waist and snuggled into his chest.

"I love you" Vanessa said.

Zac smiled.

"I love you too, so much. You have no idea" Zac said.

Vanessa looked up at Zac and sniffled. Zac wiped his girlfriend's tears away. Vanessa smiled.

"Hey, there's my favorite smile. Yours" Zac said.

Vanessa leaned over and kissed Zac's lips. Zac pulled back slowly.

"Why don't you go take a nap? I will be on daddy duty and make sure Chris is okay" Zac said.

"I want to-" Vanessa started but was cut off by Zac's finger at her mouth.

"Go upstairs and go to sleep. I will take care of everything" Zac said.

Vanessa nodded. Zac leaned over and kissed Vanessa's lips. Vanessa then walked upstairs and went into the bedroom and fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. Zac walked into the kitchen when he heard Chris cry. He walked quickly upstairs and went into Chris' room and picked him.

"Sh.. Chris. It's okay, daddy's here" Zac said as he looked at the crying infant.

Zac walked around the room with Chris in his arms. He rubbed his back in small circles. Chris' crying turned into whimpers which then turned to silence. Zac looked down at his son and saw that he had fallen asleep. He then carefully brought Chris to his crib and placed him into it. Zac kissed his head softly.

"Love you buddy" Zac said.

Zac walked out of the room and went into the master bedroom where he saw Vanessa sitting up in bed.

"You are supposed to be sleeping" Zac said.

"I know but I couldn't sleep" Vanessa said.

"And why is that Miss Hudgens?" Zac asked sitting on the bed.

"Do you think I will be a good mother?" Vanessa asked randomly.

Zac smiled and motioned her to move closer to him. Vanessa snuggled into Zac's chest.

"You will be the best mom in the world Van. I have already seen it in the couple days that he's been here" Zac said.

"I just don't want to mess up his life" Vanessa said truthfully.

"You won't babe. I promise" Zac said.

"Do you think he will find a girl like you found me?" Vanessa asked.

Zac smiled.

"Baby, he's a day old. He has years before he starts dating" Zac said.

"I know but I was just thinking" Vanessa said.

Zac sighed.

"When he's old enough, I know he will find a girl that is as loving and caring as you" Zac said.

Vanessa smiled and leaned over and kissed Zac's cheek.

"Is he asleep?" Vanessa asked.

"Yeah, he just went down. You need to get some rest too" Zac said.

"I'm not tired" Vanessa said lifting her shirt up.

Vanessa looked at her deflated stomach.

"That needs a lot of work" Vanessa said.

Zac smiled.

"A lot of it is water weight Van. It will come off quickly" Zac said.

"I hope so" Vanessa said.

"You could start walking and do some cardio. That will burn some of it off" Zac said.

"Yeah, looking at this weight makes me depressed" Vanessa said.

"Hey, you still look beautiful" Zac said.

"You have to say that" Vanessa said.

"I'm just being honest. So you gained a little weight from having a baby, every woman does. If you really want to get rid of it, then workout" Zac said.

Vanessa nodded.

"I would just wait a week until your energy is back" Zac said.

The rest of the day the couple relaxed around the house. A week later, Vanessa had gotten her energy back and was starting to figure out a workout schedule. Vanessa walked downstairs and went into the kitchen where she saw Zac holding Chris as he made a snack.

"Are you going to be free for an hour?" Vanessa asked.

Zac looked at Vanessa.

"Yeah, why?" Zac asked.

"I'm going to go to the gym and I wanted you to watch him" Vanessa said.

"Okay. Go to the gym. I got everything under control. You need to get out of the house anyway" Zac said.

"Alright. Call me if you need anything. There is some milk that I pumped this morning in the fridge" Vanessa said.

"Okay. Have a good workout babe" Zac said kissing Vanessa's lips.

"I will. I love you" Vanessa said.

"I love you too. Chris say bye to mommy" Zac said looking at his son.

Vanessa kissed Chris' forehead.

"I love you baby" Vanessa said.

"Alright, get out of here" Zac said.

Vanessa left the house and drove to the gym. Once Vanessa arrived at the gym, she walked in and started running laps on the track. Three hours later, Vanessa had finished running her fifth mile on the track. She stopped and instantly started getting dizzy. Vanessa immediately sat down and drank some of water. She picked up her phone and dialed Zac's number.

"Hello?" Zac answered.

"Babe, you need to come get me at the gym" Vanessa said as she put her hand on her head.

"Why? What's wrong?" Zac asked.

"I ran five miles and after I stopped, I got really dizzy and still am" Vanessa said.

"Okay, give me ten minutes so I can drop off Chris at your parents house" Zac said.

"Okay" Vanessa said.

The couple hung up and Vanessa leaned her head back against the wall. Ten minutes later, Zac walked into the gym and looked for Vanessa until he saw her sitting by the track. He walked over to her and kneeled down in front of her.

"How are you feeling?" Zac asked as he put his hand on her forehead.

"A little dizzy" Vanessa said.

"I'm going to help you walk to the car" Zac said.

"Okay" Vanessa said.

Zac helped Vanessa stand up and walked her to the car. He helped her sit down and put her seat belt on. Zac went to the driver's seat and started driving.

"You need to take it slow, Van. You can't overdue it" Zac said.

"I just want to lose the weight fast" Vanessa said.

"I know you do, honey. But it's not healthy to do that. You have to do it little by little" Zac said.

Vanessa sighed. Zac drove to the Hudgens' home and parked his car.

"Why are we here?" Vanessa asked.

"I dropped Chris off here and went to the gym to get you" Zac said.

"Oh" Vanessa said.

The couple got out of the car.

"Are you feeling better?" Zac asked.

"A little bit" Vanessa said.

"You aren't dizzy anymore?" Zac asked.

"I'm a little dizzy but not as much" Vanessa said.

Zac walked over to Vanessa and took her hand in his.

"Why don't you go wait in the car? I will get him and bring him right back" Zac said.

Vanessa nodded as she got back into the car. Zac waited until Vanessa was in the car before walking to the front door of the Hudgens' home. He rang the doorbell and waited for someone to answer.

"Hi Zac" Gina said opening the door.

"Hey, I need my son" Zac said.

"Alright, come on in" Gina said.

Zac and Gina walked into the house and went into the living room where they saw Greg Hudgens, Vanessa's father, sitting on the couch with Chris in his arms.

"How was he?" Zac asked.

"He was fine. He cried twice but other than that, he was an angel. What's going on?" Gina asked.

"Vanessa called me from the gym and said that she ran five miles and felt dizzy. So that's why I literally drove by and dropped Chris off and didn't really say anything. I didn't know what was going on until I got to the gym" Zac explained to his girlfriend's parents.

"How is she?" Gina asked.

"She's still a little dizzy but she's feeling better she said. She's trying to lose the baby weight fast and I told her she needs to do it slowly" Zac said.

"Let us know how she is later okay?" Greg said putting Chris into Zac's arms.

"I will. Thanks for watching him" Zac said.

"No problem" Gina said.

Zac walked out of the house and went back to the car. He opened the backseat door and buckled Chris into his car seat. Zac then walked to the driver's side and got in and started driving home. Life with a baby started to settle in for the couple and it was only the beginning.


	13. I Want You To Be Safe

The next couple of days Vanessa had been resting in bed. The only time she would get out of bed was to get Chris if he cried. Zac had told Vanessa that she needed to slow down on working out because he didn't want her to hurt herself. One day, Vanessa was in bed and heard Chris cry. She got out of bed and walked into her son's room and went to his crib and picked him up.

"Hi baby. Are you hungry?" Vanessa asked walking back to the master bedroom.

Vanessa got back into bed and pulled down her shirt and placed Chris to her breast. She watched the newborn eat his morning meal. Zac knocked on the door, which Vanessa had told him to do since she was breastfeeding and didn't want to be exposed all the time.

"Can I come in?" Zac asked.

"Yeah" Vanessa said.

Zac poked his head in and smiled.

"How's he doing? I heard him cry and I didn't know if you got him or not" Zac said walking into the room.

"He's fine. He's just hungry" Vanessa said looking at her son.

"How are you feeling?" Zac asked.

"Fine, I want to go to the gym Zac" Vanessa said.

"Alright, but I need to go with you. I don't want you passing out or anything" Zac said protectively.

Vanessa sighed and looked at Chris.

"Okay" Vanessa said.

"I was reading about breastfeeding earlier and you can burn off hundreds of calories by doing it. So technically you don't have to go to the gym" Zac said.

Vanessa looked at Zac and shook her head.

"Yeah, but the fat is still there. It's not going to magically disappear" Vanessa said annoyed.

There was a moment of silence.

"Sorry" Vanessa said.

"It's okay honey. Don't apologize" Zac said.

"It's just I can't control these stupid mood swings. I just want to be done with them all" Vanessa said.

"I know you do sweetheart. So back to what I was saying, you can lose weight just by breastfeeding" Zac said.

"I still have to go to the gym. It won't do anything to my stomach" Vanessa said.

"Let's just observe for a week and see if you start losing weight. If you do, then that's great" Zac said.

Vanessa nodded. She leaned over and kissed Zac's lips. Vanessa looked at Chris.

"Either you are really hungry or you just like my boobs" Vanessa said.

Zac laughed.

"He's just like his daddy" Zac joked.

Vanessa slapped Zac's shoulder playfully.

"Zac! That's not funny" Vanessa said.

"I was only kidding baby" Zac said.

Vanessa shook her head.

"Men" Vanessa said as she looked at Chris, who had finally pulled away.

Zac took Chris out of Vanessa's arms.

"Go get cleaned up. I will watch him" Zac said.

Vanessa got up and went into the bathroom and cleaned herself up.

"I feel like I'm forty" Vanessa said.

"Why?" Zac asked as he looked at Chris, who had fallen asleep in his arms.

"I am a mother at twenty five" Vanessa said walking back into the room.

"I'm a father at twenty six" Zac said.

"I should be out partying and having fun. But I got pregnant" Vanessa said.

"Are you having regrets?" Zac asked.

"No, but I wish we would have been more cautious" Vanessa said.

Zac nodded.

"I agree but we can't change anything now" Zac said.

"Yeah. I don't wish that Chris was never here, I just wish we were more careful" Vanessa said.

"I understand babe" Zac said.

"My mom wanted to come down for a couple weeks to help us out with Chris. What do you think?" Zac asked.

Vanessa looked at her boyfriend.

"Help us how?" Vanessa asked.

"She wants to help around the house and with Chris. Just so we know what we are doing and figure out a schedule for him" Zac said.

"That's really sweet of her but I don't want us to be a burden on her" Vanessa said.

"She wants to do it babe. She wants to spend some time with her grandson and us" Zac said.

"Okay" Vanessa said.

"Okay, you want her to help us?" Zac asked.

"Yeah, I think that if we learn from someone who has been a parent for twenty six years then we will have an easier time with Chris" Vanessa said.

Zac nodded, agreeing with her opinion.

"Alright. Let me give her a call and see when she would want to come out here" Zac said.

"Okay" Vanessa said.

Zac leaned in and kissed Vanessa's lips.

"Love you" Zac said.

"Love you too. I am going to put Chris in his crib" Vanessa said picking Chris up from Zac's arms.

"Alright" Zac said.

Vanessa walked out of the room and went into Chris' room. She placed Chris into his crib and made sure he fell asleep.

"Night baby" Vanessa said.

Vanessa walked out of the room and went back into the master bedroom. She saw Zac hanging up the phone.

"Did you call your parents?" Vanessa asked.

"Yeah. My mom said she can come tomorrow" Zac said.

"Okay" Vanessa said.

The rest of the day, the couple relaxed around the house. The next afternoon, the doorbell rang. Zac walked downstairs and went to the front door and opened it.

"Hi, how are you?" Starla asked as she hugged and kissed her son.

"Tired and busy. Come on in" Zac said.

Starla and Zac walked into the house.

"Babe? My mom is here" Zac called.

Vanessa walked downstairs with Chris in her arms.

"There's my favorite grandson. Van, you look beautiful" Starla said.

Vanessa smiled.

"Thank you Starla" Vanessa said.

"Alright, first thing's first. I didn't come here to cause any trouble. I know you both are stressed out and I am here to help okay?" Starla said.

Vanessa and Zac nodded.

"Now, both of you go upstairs and get dressed. You are going out tonight" Starla said taking Chris from Vanessa's arms.

"Mom, that's really-" Zac started but was then interrupted.

"No excuses. I want to help and I know you both haven't had any quality time together since Chris has been born. So go out" Starla said.

Zac looked at Vanessa.

"Thanks mom" Zac said.

"No problem. Go get ready. I will go get Chris settled" Starla said walking into the kitchen.

Zac and Vanessa walked upstairs and went into their bedroom.

"That was nice of your mom to take care of Chris so we can go out" Vanessa said.

"Yeah" Zac said.

Zac and Vanessa got ready and walked downstairs and went into the kitchen.

"What's his schedule?" Starla asked looking at her grandson.

"He goes down for a nap at six and wakes up around eight. I pumped some milk earlier and that is in the fridge. Give that to him when he wakes up" Vanessa said.

"Alright" Starla said.

"Thank you so much for watching him" Vanessa said.

"It's no problem" Starla said.

Vanessa and Zac kissed Chris' head and left the house. Zac started driving. Vanessa looked at Zac.

"So where are we going?" Vanessa asked.

"To eat" Zac said.

"I know that. But where?" Vanessa asked.

"Do you want to go to Paty's (do not own)?" Zac asked.

"Okay" Vanessa said.

Zac drove to the restaurant and parked his car. The couple got out of the car and went into the restaurant and were seated.

"We haven't done this in a while" Vanessa said.

"I know. It's nice to just get out of the house" Zac said.

"So do you want to go the gym with me tomorrow?" Vanessa asked.

Zac looked at Vanessa.

"You aren't going to drop this whole working out thing are you?" Zac asked.

"Babe, I want my body back" Vanessa said.

"I know you do honey. I just want you to be safe while doing it" Zac explained.

Vanessa sighed.

"I understand that and I will. But I also have a lot of weight to lose" Vanessa said.

"Didn't we just agree that you were going to wait and see how you looked next week?" Zac asked.

"I don't want to wait a week because then I will want to wait another week and it will never get done" Vanessa said.

Knowing that Zac wasn't going to win this argument, he just looked at Vanessa.

"Alright. Do what you want" Zac said.

Vanessa sighed.

"I don't want to fight with you babe. But this is my body" Vanessa said.

"I know it's your body. I just want you to be safe that's all Van" Zac said.

The couple ordered their food and then looked at each other.

"I know you want me to be safe but you don't understand how I feel right now" Vanessa said.

"Tell me how you are feeling. Talk to me" Zac said.

"I feel gross, my boobs are engorged with milk, I weigh twice as much as I used to, and I am trying to deal with becoming a new mother. I just want to do something that I am used to doing" Vanessa said.

Zac sighed and took Vanessa's hand in his.

"Baby, I understand. I really do. I know you want look like your old self, honey. I just don't want you to hurt yourself" Zac said.

Vanessa looked down.

"Hey, look at me Van" Zac said.

Vanessa looked up and tears cascaded down her face.

"It's been a really hard year" Vanessa said.

"I know it has been baby. But, we are getting through it" Zac said.

Vanessa wiped her tears away.

"I don't want to talk about this anymore" Vanessa said.

"Alright" Zac said.

Their food came and the couple ate in silence. After they finished, the couple paid and left the restaurant. Zac and Vanessa got into the car. Zac looked at Vanessa. Vanessa was looking out the window. Zac drove home and parked his car. The couple got out of the car and walked into the house. Vanessa walked upstairs and closed the door behind her. Zac heard the bedroom door close and walked into the living room and saw his mother and Chris watching television.

"Hey, how was your date?" Starla asked.

"We got into an argument" Zac said sitting next to his mother and taking Chris out of her arms.

"About what?" Starla asked.

"She wants to work out and lose the baby weight fast. I told her that she needs to do it slowly. She got upset. I told her that she needed to be careful because she almost passed out the other day from working out so hard. I don't know what to do" Zac said.

"Just give her some space Zac. Let her relax. Hang out downstairs" Starla said.

Zac nodded.

"I don't know if this is some post birth stuff or what" Zac said.

"When a woman has a baby, they feel horrible about themselves after. Vanessa wants the baby weight off of her so she doesn't feel that way anymore" Starla said.

Zac nodded and walked upstairs with Chris and went into his room. He changed his diaper and put his pajamas on. Zac then placed Chris into his crib and kissed his head softly. He then walked downstairs and saw that his mother had gone to bed and picked up a blanket and covered himself and fell asleep. The next morning, Vanessa opened the bedroom door and walked into Chris' room and saw that he was sleeping. She then walked downstairs and saw Zac sleeping on the couch. Zac opened his eyes slowly and saw Vanessa walking into the living room.

"Hi" Vanessa said.

"Hi" Zac said.

"I'm sorry for getting upset last night" Vanessa said.

"I just want you to be safe that's all babe" Zac said.

Vanessa nodded. She walked over to the couch and motioned him to move over. Zac moved over and Vanessa lied down next to him.

"I will be safe. I promise" Vanessa said.

"Okay" Zac said.

"Can we finally move past this?" Zac asked.

Vanessa nodded. She straddled Zac on the couch and kissed his lips softly.

"I love you" Vanessa said.

Zac smiled and put his hands on Vanessa's hips.

"I love you too baby girl" Zac said.

The rest of the day, the couple relaxed around the house. They were happy to finally be able to start their life with their son.


	14. Back To Work

A couple months had gone by and Chris was three months old. Zac and Vanessa had made a schedule for their son so that their home life went by smoothly. Starla had stayed with the little family for two weeks after they brought Chris home. One day, Zac was working in his office when there was a knock at his office door.

"Come in" Zac said.

Vanessa opened the door and came in holding Chris. She sat down in the chair that was in front of his desk and looked at her boyfriend. Zac looked up and smiled.

"Hi buddy, did you have a good nap?" Zac asked.

Vanessa smiled.

"He slept for a solid two hours" Vanessa said.

"That's awesome. What's going on baby?" Zac asked.

"Nothing. What are you working on?" Vanessa asked.

"I'm working on my schedule for the year" Zac said.

"How's that going?" Vanessa asked looking down at Chris, who was sleeping soundly in her arms.

"Rough" Zac said rubbing his fingers through his hair.

"What does it look like right now?" Vanessa asked.

"Basically I will be gone for three months" Zac said.

Vanessa looked at Zac and her eyes widened.

"Three months? Are you going to have breaks?" Vanessa asked.

"I may have a day or two off but I haven't heard anything yet. It's just hard because I don't want to miss anything" Zac said getting up and lifting Chris out of Vanessa's arms and into his.

"When would you leave?" Vanessa asked.

"Two weeks. If I agree to it" Zac said looking at his son.

"I think you should take it" Vanessa said.

Zac looked up with a confused look on his face.

"What?" Zac asked.

"Babe, as he gets older, it's going to be harder to leave him. You should do this movie" Vanessa said.

Zac sighed.

"We have Face time. I will video chat you every day so you won't miss anything" Vanessa said.

"You really want me to do this? Are you okay with taking care of him by yourself?" Zac asked.

"Yes and yes. If I need help, I have your mom and mine. We have our siblings as well" Vanessa said.

Zac nodded.

"Okay. I'll do it" Zac said.

Vanessa nodded.

"Alright" Vanessa said.

That night, the couple had put Chris to bed and walked into their bedroom and lied down on their bed.

"I'm going to miss you both so much" Zac said.

Vanessa smiled and kissed his cheek softly. She sat up and moved so that she was straddling Zac's stomach. Zac put his hands on Vanessa's hips.

"God, pregnancy made you irresistible" Zac said.

Vanessa smiled and giggled.

"Well, I think I have something that you will love even more" Vanessa said.

Zac looked confused. Vanessa took her shirt off and Zac couldn't speak.

"Baby, don't tease me" Zac said.

"Who said anything about teasing?" Vanessa asked seductively.

Zac squeezed his eyes shut when he felt Vanessa's lips on his neck.

"Vanessa" Zac moaned.

"Yes Zachary?" Vanessa asked sweetly.

Zac took Vanessa's hand in his.

"I don't want to hurt you. Dr. Todd said that we needed to wait six months" Zac said.

"Can't we just try and see if it's okay?" Vanessa asked.

"I want to Van. I really do. Trust me. I just don't want to hurt you or cause any damage. You still need to heal" Zac said putting his hands on the back of her legs.

Vanessa sighed but then nodded in agreement.

"I understand. I just missed the feeling" Vanessa said.

Zac smiled.

"I know. I miss it too. But the more we wait, the more sex we will be able to have later on" Zac said.

"Yeah" Vanessa said.

The couple heard a cry.

"I will get him" Vanessa said getting off of Zac.

Vanessa walked out of the bedroom and went to Chris' room and turned on the light.

"Hi baby" Vanessa said.

Vanessa picked up her son and checked his diaper which needed to be changed. She quickly changed his diaper and put Chris back into his crib.

"Good night Chris. I love you" Vanessa said.

Vanessa turned off the light and walked out of the room. She walked back into the master bedroom and lied down in her previous spot.

"Is he okay?" Zac asked.

"Yeah. He needed to be changed" Vanessa said.

Vanessa snuggled into Zac's arms.

"I'm going to miss you so much" Vanessa said.

"I'm going to miss you too" Zac said kissing Vanessa's head softly.

Zac rubbed her back soothingly and kissed Vanessa's neck. Vanessa brought her head up and kissed Zac's lips softly.

"I love you" Vanessa said.

"I love you too" Zac said.

Vanessa put her head on Zac's chest and traced unidentifiable objects on his stomach.

"Are you happy?" Vanessa asked randomly.

Zac looked confused by Vanessa's question. He looked down at her.

"What are you talking about babe?" Zac asked.

"I mean, are you happy with how life is right now?" Vanessa asked.

"Of course I am. I have a beautiful and amazing girlfriend who I could never see my life without, my career is booming, and I have a beautiful son. I have never been so happy in my entire life. Why do you ask?" Zac asked.

"I was just curious" Vanessa said.

Zac nodded.

"Are you happy?" Zac asked.

Vanessa nodded.

"I'm with the love of my life and we have a baby boy that I would die without. Life is perfect" Vanessa said.

Zac smiled and kissed her head softly.

"We need to get some sleep. He will probably be up soon" Zac said.

Vanessa nodded. She leaned up and kissed Zac's lips.

"I love you" Vanessa said.

"I love you too" Zac said.

The couple fell asleep in each other's arms. Two weeks later, Zac was packing some last minute items for his trip to Canada, where he was filming his next movie. After he was satisfied with the items that he had packed, Zac zipped up his suitcase and brought it downstairs. He walked into the living room and saw Vanessa breastfeeding Chris. Zac walked over to his girlfriend and kissed her lips softly.

"Are you ready to go?" Vanessa asked.

"Ready? No. Do I have to? Yes" Zac said.

Vanessa smiled.

"Remember, we have phones and computers. We are going to be okay. It will be hard but we will be okay" Vanessa said.

Zac sighed. Vanessa looked down at her son, who had pulled away from her breast.

"Hold him while I go change" Vanessa said.

Zac lifted Chris into his arms and lied him down against his chest. Vanessa left the room and walked upstairs.

"I'm going to miss you so much bud. Take care of your mom for me" Zac said kissing the newborn's head and putting him in his play pen.

A couple minutes later, Vanessa came back downstairs and smiled when she saw Zac looking at Chris. She walked over to the couch and sat down next to Zac.

"When is the car coming to pick you up?" Vanessa asked.

As if on cue, the doorbell rang.

"Now" Zac said.

The couple stood up and walked to the door. Zac looked at Vanessa and saw tears in her eyes that were threatening to fall.

"Baby, please don't cry. I promise the next three months are going to go by quick" Zac said wrapping his arms around Vanessa.

Vanessa sniffled. She wrapped her arms around her boyfriend.

"I'm just going to miss you a lot. No one can take care of Chris like you can" Vanessa said.

Zac kissed Vanessa's lips passionately. Vanessa pulled away and tears fell from her eyes.

"I love you so much" Zac said wiping the tears that were running down her face.

"I love you too. You better go before you miss your flight" Vanessa said.

Zac nodded. He looked down at his son and kissed his head softly.

"Love you Chris. Take care of your mom" Zac said.

Zac picked up Chris and placed his son into Vanessa's arms.

"I'll call you when I get there" Zac said.

Vanessa nodded. Zac opened the front door and picked up his suitcase.

"Bye babe" Zac said.

"Bye" Vanessa said.

Vanessa watched Zac get into the car and drive away. She closed the door and wiped her eyes. Vanessa walked into the living room and sat down on the couch.

"Looks like it's just me and you baby" Vanessa said.

A couple hours later, Vanessa's phone rang and she looked at the caller ID which read Dylan Efron.

"Hi Dyl" Vanessa said.

"Nessa, what's wrong?" Dylan asked concerned.

Vanessa smiled at how her boyfriend's brother knew her as well as he did. She sniffled.

"Zac left for Canada today" Vanessa said.

"Are you at home by yourself?" Dylan asked.

"Yeah, but I think your mom is supposed to be visiting in a couple of weeks" Vanessa said.

"Oh. I was in the area and wanted to see if you were around. I also wanted to see my nephew" Dylan said.

Vanessa smiled.

"I'm at home. Come over" Vanessa told the twenty-three year old.

"Alright. I'm on my way" Dylan said.

"Okay, see you soon" Vanessa said.

Dylan and Vanessa hung up. Dylan was not just Zac's brother to her. He was a brother figure to her as well. Twenty minutes later, the doorbell rang and Vanessa walked to the door and opened it.

"Hey" Vanessa said hugging Dylan.

"How are you doing?" Dylan asked as he walked into the house.

"Well, I just stopped bawling my eyes out" Vanessa said.

Dylan smiled.

"He will be back before you know it Van. You have been apart for longer before" Dylan said.

"Yeah but now we have a baby so it's harder" Vanessa said.

"I understand. So where is my handsome nephew?" Dylan asked.

"He's taking a nap. He should be up soon though" Vanessa said.

"How has being a parent been?" Dylan asked.

"It's hard but I'm getting through it. We just got Chris on a schedule so that has helped a lot" Vanessa said.

"So don't freak out when I ask you this but when are you and Zac going to get married?" Dylan asked.

Vanessa smiled and blushed.

"I don't know. We are just getting the hang of having a baby in our house" Vanessa said.

"Do you want to marry him?" Dylan asked.

"Why are you asking so many questions about marriage?" Vanessa asked.

"I am just curious. Zac won't tell me anything. He said it's none of my business but technically I brought you both closer together" Dylan said.

Vanessa giggled.

"To answer your question, yes I want to marry him. You have played a major role in interrupting perfect moments our relationship" Vanessa joked.

_Flashback _

_Zac and Vanessa had been dating for a year and were in San Luis Obispo for the weekend and staying with Zac's parents. The couple were in the backyard one night looking at the clear night sky. _

_"It's beautiful out here tonight" Vanessa said. _

_"Not as beautiful as you" Zac said. _

_Vanessa smiled and leaned in and kissed Zac's lips. _

_"Sometimes you are really corny but I love it" Vanessa said. _

_"I love you" Zac said. _

_Vanessa looked at Zac. She couldn't believe that he had said that he loved her. Vanessa was about to say something when Dylan came out of the back door. _

_"What are you guys doing?" Dylan asked. _

_The couple looked at Dylan, who just ruined a very special moment in their relationship. _

_"Dylan, go back inside" Zac said. _

_"But Zac" Dylan pleaded. _

_"Dylan, go" Zac said pointing to the door. _

_Dylan left the couple and went back inside. Vanessa looked at Zac. _

_"I love you too" Vanessa said simply. _

_End of Flashback_

"Yeah, but that's what made the memories more memorable" Dylan said.

Vanessa smiled.

"Yeah" Vanessa said.

Vanessa and Dylan talked for a little while longer until Dylan had to go. Vanessa closed the door after walking Dylan out of the house. She walked into the living room and heard her phone ring. Vanessa looked at the caller ID and saw Zac's name.

"Baby" Vanessa answered.

"Hey sweetheart" Zac said.

"Did you just land?" Vanessa asked.

"I just got to the hotel. How's everything going over there?" Zac asked.

"Dylan just came by to visit. Chris is still taking a nap and I am just relaxing and missing you" Vanessa said.

Zac smiled to himself.

"How's Dylan?" Zac asked.

"He's fine. He just wanted to make sure that I had everything under control" Vanessa said.

"Good. I miss you already" Zac said.

Vanessa smiled and tears filled her eyes.

"I miss you too" Vanessa said quietly.

"Baby, don't cry. I hate it when you cry. Especially because when I'm not there" Zac said.

"The fact that Chris is here and you aren't here just bothers me" Vanessa said.

"I know it does babe. But I will be home before you know it" Zac said.

"Still doesn't change the fact that you aren't here" Vanessa said.

"What would help you feel better besides me coming home?" Zac asked.

"Making the house feel like you are here when you aren't" Vanessa said.

"I can work on that. But for right now, go put our son to bed and find a pair of my boxers that you love to wear and go to sleep. You need to sleep sweetheart" Zac said.

Vanessa nodded even though Zac couldn't see her doing it.

"Okay" Vanessa said.

"Alright. I will talk to you tomorrow morning before I go to the set. I love you Van" Zac said.

"I love you too Zac" Vanessa said.

The couple hung up. Vanessa went to Zac's drawers and picked out a pair of his boxers and a wife beater. She changed into the them and walked to Chris' room and saw him wide awake. Vanessa picked her son up and brought him to the changing table and changed his diaper. She then put him back into his crib and kissed his head softly.

"Mommy and daddy love you baby" Vanessa said.

Vanessa left the room and walked into the master bedroom. She got into bed and lied down. Vanessa snuggled into Zac's pillow and fell asleep. She couldn't wait until she could fall asleep next to Zac again.


	15. Marry Me

The next morning, Vanessa woke up to her phone ringing. She picked up her phone and saw that Zac was trying to Face Time her. Vanessa answered the call and smiled.

"Good morning beautiful" Zac said.

"Good morning baby" Vanessa said.

"How are you?" Zac asked.

"Exhausted. Chris woke up twice last night" Vanessa said stretching her arms.

"I'm sorry honey. I wish I was there to help" Zac said.

Vanessa smiled.

"Did you start filming?" Vanessa asked.

"Yeah, I just filmed a scene and I'm on my break now" Zac said.

"Oh. Chris misses you" Vanessa said.

Zac smiled.

"I miss him too. What are you doing today?" Zac asked.

"I am just going to hang around the house today. I don't feel like going out" Vanessa said.

"You always say that the day after I leave" Zac said.

"Yeah but today just feels worse than the other times" Vanessa said.

"I know. Why don't you drop Chris off at your parent's house and just relax at home?" Zac suggested.

"No. If I leave Chris at my parents house, then I will come home and cry" Vanessa said.

Zac sighed.

"I wish you could be in two places at once" Vanessa said.

Zac laughed.

"Me too baby. Me too. Hey, I have to go but I will talk to you tonight okay?" Zac said.

"Okay" Vanessa said.

"I love you" Zac said.

"I love you too" Vanessa said.

The couple hung up. Vanessa looked at the clock and got up. She walked out of the bedroom and went into her son's room. Vanessa walked over to Chris' crib and saw him wide awake. She smiled and picked him up.

"Hi baby. Let's change you" Vanessa said bringing him over to the changing table.

Vanessa changed Chris' diaper and then lifted him into her arms. She walked over to the chair that was next to the crib and sat down. Vanessa pulled down her shirt and positioned Chris to her breast and watched him latch on. She put her hand on her son's head.

"Do you miss daddy as much as I do Chris?" Vanessa asked the infant but then realized that he wouldn't respond.

Twenty minutes later, Chris pulled away from Vanessa. Vanessa looked at her son and smiled. She pulled her shirt back up and patted Chris' back until he burped.

"Let's see what your Aunt Stella is doing today" Vanessa said picking up her phone.

Vanessa dialed her sister's number and waited for Stella to pick up.

"Hello?" Stella answered.

"Hey, what are you doing today?" Vanessa asked.

"I'm going out tonight" Stella said.

"Oh" Vanessa said.

"Why? What's wrong?" Stella asked.

"I was going to come visit you but you are busy" Vanessa said.

"Sorry Van. Maybe we can meet up tomorrow" Stella said.

"Alright" Vanessa said.

The two sisters hung up. Vanessa's phone immediately started ringing when she put it down. She looked at the caller ID and saw that it was her publicist, Jen.

"Hey Jen, what's up?" Vanessa asked.

"Hey, I have a business opportunity that I think you are going to love" Jen said.

"What is it?" Vanessa asked curiously.

"Cosmopolitan Magazine (do not own) wants you to do the cover and also wants to do an interview with you on how you are adjusting to motherhood and what is going to happen in the future with your career and with Zac" Jen said.

"When do they want to do the shoot?" Vanessa asked.

"They want to do it by the end of the month" Jen said.

"Can I get back to you on that? Let me ask Zac and see what he thinks" Vanessa said.

"Alright. Let me know" Jen said.

The two women hung up. Vanessa dialed Zac's number and waited for him to answer.

"Hi sweetheart" Zac said.

"Hey baby. Jen called me and told me that Cosmo wants to have me on the cover of their magazine for next month. I didn't give them an answer yet because I wanted to talk to you about it first" Vanessa said.

"I think you should do it. The faster you get back to work, the faster you will land more business opportunities. They aren't going to make you go nude right?" Zac asked.

"I don't think so and if they want me to do that, then I will decline. I just wanted to know how you felt about it" Vanessa said.

"I want you to do baby" Zac said.

"Alright. Sorry if I called in the middle of something" Vanessa said.

"Hey, it's okay. You are my number one priority and if you need something then I will be here" Zac said.

"Thanks. Go back to work. I love you" Vanessa said.

"I love you too" Zac said.

The couple hung up. Vanessa sighed. She was probably going to be on the phone all day. Vanessa dialed Jen's number and waited for her to answer.

"Hey, did you talk to Zac?" Jen asked.

"Yes and he wants me to do it. I'm in. Do you know if I have to pose nude?" Vanessa asked.

"Alright. No I don't. I can see if they want you to do that or not" Jen said.

"Okay. That was Zac's only concern and I don't really feel comfortable posing nude" Vanessa said.

"Okay. Let me talk to them and see what the story is and I will get back to you" Jen said.

"Okay" Vanessa said.

The two women hung up the phone. Vanessa sighed. She finally had a moment of silence until she heard Chris crying. Vanessa got up and walked into his room and smiled. She walked over to Chris' crib and picked him up.

"It's okay baby. Don't cry. Mommy's here" Vanessa said walking around the room with the crying infant.

Chris' cries soon turned to whimpers. Vanessa looked at her son and kissed his head softly.

"Go to sleep sweetheart" Vanessa said.

Chris' eyes started to close. Vanessa walked to her son's crib and placed him into it. She then walked out of the room and went downstairs. Vanessa turned on the baby monitor that was in the living room and sat down on the couch. She really missed Zac. Vanessa wished that he was home but she knew that he had to work and make sacrifices for their family. Her phone started ringing and she was pulled out of her thoughts. Vanessa looked at the caller ID and saw Stella's name. She answered the phone.

"Hello?" Vanessa answered.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Stella asked.

"I'm just hanging out. What are you doing?" Vanessa asked.

"Nothing. I was going to ask you if you wanted to hang out. Mom said that she would watch Chris for you" Stella said.

"Okay. Chris just went down for a nap. So are you guys going to come here?" Vanessa asked.

"Yeah, we'll come to you" Stella said.

"Okay" Vanessa said.

The two sisters hung up. Vanessa sighed and looked at the clock. Chris would probably be up in an hour. She was pulled out of her thoughts when she heard the doorbell ring. Vanessa walked over to the door and opened it.

"Come on in" Vanessa said.

"Where's Chris?" Gina asked.

"He's taking his nap. He should be up in an hour" Vanessa said.

"Okay" Gina said.

Vanessa and Stella left the house. Vanessa started driving.

"So how are you doing?" Stella asked.

"I'm fine" Vanessa said.

"Really? Van, I'm your sister. I know something is wrong" Stella said.

"Stella, I'm fine" Vanessa said.

"I just don't want you to be depressed about Zac leaving" Stella said.

Vanessa's eyes started to water. Zac had only been gone two days and she already missed him so much. Stella saw that Vanessa was closing herself off.

"Van, you know that you can cry" Stella said.

"Stella, I don't want to talk about this" Vanessa said.

"Okay" Stella said.

There was a moment of silence. Vanessa wiped the tears that were forming in her eyes.

"Maybe I should take Chris and go to Canada to see Zac" Vanessa suggested.

"Do you think that would help you?" Stella asked.

"Yes" Vanessa said simply.

"You would take Chris with you?" Stella asked.

"Yeah" Vanessa said.

Stella nodded.

"You do what you think is best. I'm only sixteen" Stella said.

Vanessa nodded. A week later, Vanessa was packing a suitcase for herself and Chris. She couldn't wait to see the look on Zac's face when he saw her and their son. Vanessa finished packing and sighed. She got Chris ready and they left the house and drove to the airport. Their flight took off as soon as they got checked in and seated in the plane. Vanessa made sure that Chris was covered just in case there were any paparazzi on the plane. Five hours later, the plane landed at the airport. Vanessa and Chris walked out of the plane and went to get their rental car. As soon as Vanessa got Chris into his car seat and buckled in, she started driving to the set where Zac was filming. An hour later, Vanessa arrived at the set and got out of the car. Her heart was racing and she started hyperventilating a little. She picked Chris up and started walking and following the signs that were placed around the area. Vanessa saw Zac filming from a distance. She took a deep breath and started walking toward the crowd of people. She sat down in a chair and waited to see if Zac saw them. Zac was in the middle of a scene when he looked over and saw a familiar face. His eyes grew in shock.

"I need to take five" Zac said.

"Alright, take five everybody" Kristin, the director told the cast and crew.

Zac jogged over to Vanessa. He stopped five feet in front of her.

"Surprise!" Vanessa said with tears running down her face.

Zac smiled and had tears running down his face as well. He walked over to Vanessa and kissed her lips passionately.

"I missed you" Vanessa said.

"God, I missed you too baby. How did you get here?" Zac asked.

"We flew out today. I wanted to surprise you. I couldn't go three months without seeing you" Vanessa said.

Zac smiled. He reached his arms out and lifted Chris into his arms.

"I'm very surprised. I don't even know what to say. I'm in shock. But, I'm so happy" Zac said.

Vanessa smiled.

"Alright. Now that you know we are here, go do your thing baby" Vanessa said taking Chris out of Zac's arms.

"I will. I love you" Zac said.

"I love you too" Vanessa said.

Zac smiled and walked back to the set and put his hands on his face and wiped his eyes. Vanessa giggled seeing how surprised Zac was to see them. She watched him film and run through his scenes. An hour later, Zac finished filming for the day. He walked off the set and looked at his girlfriend, who was sitting with a sleeping Chris.

"I'll take him" Zac said.

Vanessa put Chris into Zac's arms. Zac smiled when he looked down at Chris. Vanessa then stood up.

"So where are we going?" Vanessa asked as they started walking.

"First, we are going to go to the hotel and drop Chris off" Zac said.

Vanessa looked confused.

"Who are we dropping him off with?" Vanessa asked.

"For all the cast's kids, they supply a daycare. He will be safe and I know the lady that is running it" Zac said.

"Okay" Vanessa said.

Zac and Vanessa drove to the hotel and got out of the car. Zac walked to the backseat and unbuckled Chris and lifted him into his arms. The couple saw a paparazzi huddle forming around them. Vanessa looked at Zac.

"Hold onto him" Vanessa said.

"I got him. Don't bother us when we are with the baby guys" Zac said walking through the hoard of paparazzi.

The couple walked into the hotel and went to the daycare area and stopped at the desk.

"Hi Zac. Do you need to drop off your son?" Anna, the editor of the movie asked.

"Yes. We will pick him up in a couple hours" Zac said.

"Alright" Anna said.

Zac kissed his son's head and placed him into Anna's arms. The couple made sure Chris was okay and then left the hotel.

"So where are we going?" Vanessa asked.

"Somewhere that is for me to know, and you to find out" Zac said.

Vanessa giggled and shook her head. The couple walked to the car and got in. Zac started driving and then pulled into a restaurant parking lot.

"Do you remember this place when we came here for the first High School Musical (do not own) tour?" Zac asked.

"Yeah, I do. This is where you confessed your feelings for me" Vanessa said.

"Yeah" Zac said.

The couple walked into the restaurant and were immediately seated.

"So, how's filming going? You did great today babe" Vanessa said.

Zac smiled.

"Thank you. It's going well. I think that we are right on schedule. This director is really easy going and loves hearing new ideas" Zac said.

"That's great honey. I'm so proud of you" Vanessa said.

Zac smiled and took her hand in his and kissed it.

"I love you so much" Zac said.

Vanessa smiled.

"I love you too. I am glad that I could come out here with Chris and be with you" Vanessa said.

"Me too. So, I have something that I need to tell you" Zac said.

Vanessa looked at Zac concerned but motioned for him to continue.

"The last five years that we have been together have been the greatest years of my life. You are the most loving and sweetest woman I know and I could never see my life without you or my son. I love you more than anything in the world. I would never give it up for my career. You always know how to make every day a great one and one that I will always feel loved. You gave me a beautiful son" Zac started.

Vanessa had tears running down her face. She still was very confused on what was going on.

"I know that we will be in each other's lives forever because of Chris but I also never want to let you go because I love you too much" Zac said.

"What are you trying to say Zac?" Vanessa asked.

"I'm trying to say" Zac stopped and got down on one knee.

Vanessa gasped and more tears ran down her cheeks.

"Vanessa Anne Hudgens, you are the love of my life and I could never see my life without you. Will you do me the honor in marrying me?" Zac asked as he took out a ring box.

Vanessa was shaking. She had tears running down her face.

"Yes baby" Vanessa said.

Zac smiled and leaned in and kissed Vanessa's lips softly. Vanessa pulled away and Zac placed the ring on her finger. Vanessa smiled and looked at Zac, who had tears running down his face. She wiped his tears away and he did the same to her.

"I love you so much" Vanessa said.

"I love you more" Zac said.

Vanessa leaned in and kissed Zac's lips. The couple enjoyed each other's company and couldn't wait to spend the rest of their lives together.


	16. The Best Surprise

The next morning, Vanessa woke up and looked around the room. She then remembered that she was in Canada with Zac and Chris. Vanessa turned over in bed and saw Zac sleeping next to her. She snuggled into his chest and sighed happily. Vanessa looked at her ring finger and smiled. She couldn't believe that she and Zac were engaged. Zac stirred and brought Vanessa closer to him. He opened his eyes and smiled.

"Hi" Zac said.

"Hi. I can't believe we are engaged" Vanessa said.

Zac smiled and kissed her lips softly. He put his hand on the small of Vanessa's back and brought her body level to his.

"I know. I was going to do it when I got back to LA but last night just felt right" Zac said.

"Did our parents know you were going to propose?" Vanessa asked.

"Your dad knew. I asked him six months ago" Zac said.

"Really?" Vanessa asked incredulously.

"Yeah. He gave us his blessing. I have no idea if he told your mom or Stell" Zac said.

Vanessa smiled.

"What about your parents?" Vanessa asked.

"They didn't know. I was thinking that we could drive up there when I come home for my break and tell them" Zac said.

Vanessa nodded.

"Do you like the ring?" Zac asked looked down at Vanessa's finger.

"I love it. It's perfect. Just like you" Vanessa said kissing Zac's lips.

Zac laughed.

"You are so corny. But I love it" Zac said.

"When do you have to start filming today?" Vanessa asked moving so she was straddling Zac's waist.

Zac looked at his phone.

"In an hour" Zac said.

Vanessa leaned in and kissed Zac's lips softly. Zac kissed her back and put his hands on her hips. Vanessa pulled back.

"I think that we shouldn't have sex until you come home. I don't want to scar Chris for life" Vanessa said looking at the sleeping baby.

Zac smiled. He rubbed her back in soothing circles.

"Okay. When are shooting your cover for Cosmo?" Zac asked.

"At the end of the month" Vanessa said.

Zac nodded. He ran his fingers through Vanessa's hair.

"I love you" Zac said.

Vanessa smiled.

"I love you too baby" Vanessa said.

Chris started whining. Vanessa looked at Zac.

"He's probably hungry" Vanessa said getting off of Zac.

Vanessa walked over to Chris and picked him up. She brought him back to the bed and pulled down her shirt and placed Chris to her breast and watched him latch on. Zac watched his son enjoy his morning meal.

"You really have gotten sexier since you have had him" Zac said.

Vanessa blushed.

"Baby, no I haven't" Vanessa said.

"Yes you have. Look, you didn't have these curves before. Your boobs are huge" Zac said.

"My boobs are huge because they are engorged with milk" Vanessa said.

"Yes, but they still look hot" Zac said.

Vanessa shook her head.

"You are crazy" Vanessa said.

"But you love me anyway" Zac said.

"Yeah, I do" Vanessa said looking down at Chris.

Chris pulled away. Vanessa lifted her son into her arms and patted his back gently until he burped.

"Can you hold him?" Vanessa asked.

Zac reached his arms out. Vanessa placed Chris into Zac's arms and got off the bed. She then walked into the bathroom and cleaned herself up. Five minutes later, Vanessa came out of the bathroom.

"I have to go to the set babe. Are you coming or are you going to stay here?" Zac asked.

"I will stay here. Just in case he gets fussy" Vanessa said.

"Alright. I shouldn't be gone long" Zac said.

Zac walked over and placed Chris into Vanessa's arms and kissed her lips.

"I love you fiancée" Zac said.

Vanessa smiled. She would never get tired of hearing that.

"I love you too fiancée" Vanessa said.

"See you in a little while" Zac said.

Zac left the hotel room. Vanessa picked up her phone and dialed her mother's number.

"Hello?" Gina answered.

"Hi mom" Vanessa said.

"Hi Van, how are you? How's my grandson?" Gina asked.

"We are fine. I'm in Canada visiting Zac" Vanessa said.

"Oh, did you bring Chris with you or is he at Starla's?" Gina asked.

"No he's with us. I have something to tell you" Vanessa said.

"Are you pregnant again?" Gina asked.

"No. Zac proposed last night" Vanessa said.

"Oh my god. I'm so happy for you Van. He was already family but now it's official. I'm so happy for you all" Gina said.

"He told me that he asked dad six months ago" Vanessa said.

"He did? Your dad didn't tell me anything" Gina said.

"Yeah" Vanessa said.

"Are you happy?" Gina asked.

"I'm so happy. He's the best thing that ever happened to me. Without him, I wouldn't be where I am today" Vanessa said.

"Good" Gina said.

The mother and daughter duo talked for a little while longer. An hour later, Vanessa heard the door unlock and saw Zac come in.

"How did it go?" Vanessa asked.

"It was fine. They only had me do two scenes" Zac said wrapping his arms around Vanessa and kissing her lips.

"I told my mom" Vanessa said randomly.

"You did? What did she say?" Zac asked.

"She's happy. She said that you were already family and that this made it official" Vanessa said.

Zac nodded.

"That's good" Zac said.

"So what are is the plan for the rest of the day Mr. Efron?" Vanessa asked.

"I can think of several things we can do" Zac said raising his eyebrows.

"Chris" Vanessa said simply.

Zac sighed.

"Sorry baby" Vanessa said placing a kiss on Zac's chest.

"No it's not your fault sweetheart. It's just what comes with the territory" Zac said running his fingers through Vanessa's hair.

"When you come home, we will have to make up for the lost time" Vanessa said entwining their fingers together.

Zac nodded. Chris started crying. The couple looked at the crying infant. Zac walked over to his son and picked him up.

"Hey buddy, what's wrong? Do we need to change you?" Zac asked the infant.

Zac carried Chris to the bed. He placed his son on the bed and grabbed the diaper bag. Zac quickly changed his son's diaper and threw the used one away. Chris' crying stopped and Zac looked at him.

"All better" Zac said lifting Chris into his arms and kissing his head.

Vanessa smiled as she watched Zac interact with their son.

"The amount you love him, makes me love you more and more everyday" Vanessa said.

Zac looked at Vanessa and smiled.

"Same to you" Zac said.

"I'm going to miss you when I leave" Vanessa said.

Zac's face softened.

"Baby, we are strong. We are going to be fine. I know it's going to hurt to leave. It's going to hurt me too. But, I will be home before you know it and you also have your cover shoot coming up. We will be fine sweetheart. I am going to miss you so much" Zac said putting Chris down and opening his arms.

Vanessa walked over to Zac and wrapped her arms around his waist. Zac kissed Vanessa's cheek. Vanessa started to cry. Zac rubbed her back soothingly.

"Let it out baby" Zac said knowing that Vanessa was holding in all of her emotions.

Vanessa cried into Zac's shoulder. Zac whispered soothing words into Vanessa's ear. He kissed her shoulder softly.

"I'm not worried about us. I'm just worried about Chris" Vanessa cried.

Zac kissed her head and held her in his arms.

"I know and that's to be expected Van. He's only three months old" Zac said.

"It's just hard" Vanessa said.

"I know honey. I know. I wish I could be home. That's all I want. I want you, me, and Chris to be home. If I had known it would be this hard, I wouldn't have signed the contract" Zac said as silent tears started running down his own face.

Vanessa sniffled.

"When do you fly back to LA?" Zac asked.

"Tomorrow" Vanessa said.

"Okay. Then we just have to have a good day right? It's never a goodbye. It's a see you later, remember" Zac said.

Vanessa nodded.

"I remember" Vanessa said remembering their inside joke from years ago.

"Come on, let's wipe our tears away and not think about tomorrow" Zac said wiping his fiancée's tears away.

Vanessa sniffled and nodded. She wiped Zac's tears away and kissed his lips. The next day, Vanessa was packing her suitcase and getting ready to leave for the airport.

"Are you all packed?" Zac asked.

Vanessa nodded. Zac wrapped his arms around his fiancée's waist and kissed her lips softly, but passionately.

"I love you" Vanessa said.

"I love you too babe" Zac said.

"I should probably start driving to the airport. I don't want to miss my flight" Vanessa said.

Zac nodded.

"Have a safe flight. Call me when you get home please" Zac said.

"I will. Say goodbye to your son" Vanessa said.

Zac looked at Chris, who was lying on the bed. He picked the infant up and kissed his head.

"I love you Chris. Keep mommy safe please" Zac said.

Vanessa smiled. Zac placed Chris into Vanessa's arms.

"I love you. I'll call you later" Vanessa said.

"I love you too" Zac said.

Vanessa and Chris left the hotel room. Zac broke down in tears. He didn't think that this separation would be this hard. Meanwhile with Vanessa, she buckled Chris into his car seat and got into the car herself. She took a deep breath and released all the tears she had been holding since she woke up that morning. Vanessa drove to the airport. She didn't feel complete without Zac. Vanessa got to the airport and returned her car and she and Chris boarded the plane. Five hours later, the plane arrived in LA. Vanessa carried Chris off the plane and walked through the hoards of paparazzi. She walked to the baggage claim and picked up her luggage. Vanessa then walked out of the airport to where she parked her car. She buckled Chris into his car seat and placed a kiss on his head. Vanessa then got into the driver's seat and started driving home. Once Vanessa got home, she parked her car in the driveway and locked the gate. She then unbuckled Chris and picked him up and walked into the house.

"Home sweet home" Vanessa said.

Vanessa walked into the living room and sat down on the couch. She dialed Zac's number and waited for him to answer.

"Hey baby" Zac said.

"Hey I just got home" Vanessa said.

"How was the flight?" Zac asked.

"It was fine. Chris slept through the whole thing" Vanessa said.

"Good. He gave you a break" Zac said.

"Yeah, are you on your break?" Vanessa asked.

"Yeah. I just got back to the hotel. Are you going to go to your parents?" Zac asked.

"Yeah, my mom wants to see the ring" Vanessa said.

Zac smiled.

"Okay. Have fun. I love you" Zac said.

"I love you too" Vanessa said.

The couple hung up. Vanessa picked Chris up and left the house. She buckled Chris into his car seat and closed the door. Vanessa got into the driver's seat and started driving to her parents house. Ten minutes later Vanessa arrived at her parents house and parked her car. She got out of the car and went to the back seat and lifted Chris out of his car seat. Vanessa walked to the front door of the house and rang the doorbell. A couple moments later, Greg Hudgens opened the door and smiled.

"Hi dad" Vanessa said.

"Hey, there's my favorite grandson" Greg said opening his arms.

Vanessa placed her son into her father's arms. She then walked into the house.

"So, do you notice anything different?" Vanessa asked as she put her left hand on her face.

Greg looked at his eldest daughter and smiled when he saw the ring on her finger.

"Congratulations Van" Greg said.

Vanessa smiled.

"Thanks. I can't believe you hid that from me for six months" Vanessa said.

"I was sworn to secrecy. I didn't want my future son-in-law to hate me already" Greg said putting his hands up. .

Vanessa giggled.

"He could never hate you. You are like his second father. Where's mom?" Vanessa asked.

"She's in the kitchen" Greg said.

"Okay" Vanessa said.

Vanessa walked into the kitchen and saw her mother baking. She walked over to Gina and hugged her.

"You are home" Gina said.

"Yeah" Vanessa said.

"Where's the ring?" Gina asked.

Vanessa stuck out her hand and showed her mother her engagement ring.

"It's beautiful" Gina said.

Vanessa nodded.

"Where's Chris?" Gina asked.

"He's with dad in the living room" Vanessa said.

"So, how was your trip?" Gina asked.

"It was fine. It was so good to go there and surprise him. You should have seen the look on his face when he saw us. It was priceless" Vanessa said.

Gina smiled.

"Does he know when his break is going to be?" Gina asked.

"Not yet. But I am hoping it's soon" Vanessa said.

"Do you know when the wedding will be?" Gina asked.

"Not yet. We haven't gotten into wedding planning yet. We are waiting until he comes home" Vanessa said.

"Oh" Gina said.

"Yeah, but I can't wait until he comes home" Vanessa said.

"I bet" Gina said.

Vanessa hung out at her parent's home for the rest of the day. She couldn't wait until Zac came home.


	17. Life's Never Perfect

A couple days later, Vanessa had a meeting with her publicist, Jen and the photographer that would conducting the photo shoot for Vanessa's cover of Cosmopolitan magazine (Do not own). Vanessa left Chris with her parents and had arrived at Jen's office. She walked into the office and smiled when she saw Jen.

"Vanessa" Jen said.

"Hi Jen" Vanessa said.

"Come on in" Jen said.

Vanessa walked into Jen's office and sat down.

"Vanessa, this is Nicole who will be the photographer of the photo shoot" Jen said.

"Hi, nice to meet you" Vanessa said shaking Nicole's hand.

"It's nice to meet you as well. Jen was telling me you had some criteria that you wanted to be followed for the shoot" Nicole said.

"Yeah, my fiancée and I talked about it and I decided that the only thing that I don't want to do is pose nude. I just don't feel comfortable doing that and Zac doesn't feel comfortable with it either" Vanessa said.

"Alright and that is completely fine. We will have you fully clothed and it shouldn't be a problem" Nicole said.

"Okay" Vanessa said.

"I also had another question. We were thinking of having your son be in some of the pictures. Are you okay with that?" Nicole asked.

"I would have to ask Zac. Let me call him really quick and ask him" Vanessa said pulling out her phone.

Vanessa dialed Zac's number and waited for him to answer.

"Hi sweetheart" Zac said.

"Hi honey. I'm with Jen and the photographer for the Cosmo shoot and they had some questions about adding stuff. You are on speaker" Vanessa said as she put her phone on speaker.

"Hi Zac, how are you?" Nicole asked.

"Fine, how are you?" Zac asked.

"Me and some of the other photographers for the shoot were wondering if we could have your son in some of the pictures" Nicole said.

"Babe, how do you feel about it?" Zac asked.

"I don't know. I mean I don't want any negative attention to go towards him if he's in them. That's all I am worried about" Vanessa said.

"Do you want him to be in them? We never really discussed if we were going to put him out in the public" Zac said.

"It doesn't matter to me. I just don't want there to be any backlash that's all" Vanessa said.

"I understand. I think that this should just be your shoot. If it were the three of us, then I would be okay with it" Zac said.

"Alright. I agree" Vanessa said.

"Okay. I have to go babe but I will talk to you later. I love you" Zac said.

Vanessa smiled.

"I love you too" Vanessa said.

The couple hung up. Vanessa looked at Nicole and Jen.

"So my son is not allowed to be photographed" Vanessa said.

"Alright. Let's get the contract signed and set up a date" Nicole said

Vanessa signed the contract and set a date for the photo shoot. That night, Vanessa was making dinner when her phone started ringing. She picked it up and answered it.

"Hello?" Vanessa answered.

"Hi honey" Zac said.

"Hey, how was your day?" Vanessa asked.

"It was fine. How's my son?" Zac asked.

Vanessa smiled.

"He's taking his second nap" Vanessa said.

"Oh. How did the rest of your meeting go?" Zac asked.

"Fine. The shoot is going to be next week" Vanessa said.

"Okay. When will the magazine be out?" Zac asked.

"I don't know yet" Vanessa said.

"Oh. I miss you babe" Zac said.

Vanessa smiled and stopped cooking.

"I miss you too baby. More than you will ever know" Vanessa said.

"Are you excited for your shoot?" Zac asked.

"Yeah, I can't wait to go back to work. How's everything going over there?" Vanessa asked.

"Everything's going okay. I'm counting the days until I see you" Zac said.

Vanessa smiled.

"Me too baby, me too. Your mom called this afternoon" Vanessa said.

"What did she say?" Zac asked.

"She wanted to tell me that she was going to come down with Dylan to visit. I told her that you were out of town but she wanted to come anyway" Vanessa said.

"Oh. Are you going to tell her about the engagement?" Zac asked.

"I don't know. I would want to tell her when you are here" Vanessa said.

"She's going to see the ring in five seconds" Zac said.

Vanessa giggled. There was a moment of silence.

"Yeah, I'm sure she will. Zac?" Vanessa asked.

"Yeah baby?" Zac asked.

"Is this how our life is going to be?" Vanessa asked.

"What do you mean?" Zac asked.

"Either one of us is gone all the time" Vanessa said.

Zac sighed and closed his eyes.

"Baby, I'm taking a break after this movie is done. I know it's hard. Trust me, I know. We are going to make it work" Zac said.

Vanessa nodded.

"Okay" Vanessa said.

"I have to go film another scene. But I will talk to you tomorrow okay?" Zac said.

"Okay" Vanessa said.

"I love you Van" Zac said.

"I love you too Zac" Vanessa said.

The couple hung up. Vanessa finished cooking dinner and ate. She then walked upstairs and saw that Chris was awake. Vanessa walked over to the crib and picked her son up.

"Hi baby. Did you have a good nap?" Vanessa asked as she walked over to the changing table.

Vanessa quickly changed Chris' diaper and then picked him up. She walked out of the room and went downstairs. The phone rang and Vanessa picked it up.

"Hello?" Vanessa answered.

"Van" Dylan said.

Vanessa just cried.

"Van, what's wrong?" Dylan asked.

"I miss him" Vanessa said referring to her fiancée.

Dylan sighed.

"I'm on my way. Are you at home?" Dylan asked.

"Yeah" Vanessa said quietly.

"Alright" Dylan said.

Vanessa hung up the phone. She walked into the living room and sat on the couch. Ten minutes later, the doorbell rang. Vanessa got up and walked to the front door. She opened it. Dylan opened his arms and Vanessa walked into them. Dylan rubbed his "sister's" back.

"He will be home soon Van" Dylan said.

"I told him that when one person is home the other one isn't. I asked him if this was how it was going to be for the rest of our lives" Vanessa said.

"Van, he wants to be home more than anything. You know that" Dylan said.

"It's just hard when you have a baby involved" Vanessa said.

Dylan nodded.

"I know but he's doing the best he can" Dylan said.

"I know he is. I just don't want Chris to grow up in a home that has one parent going in and out of their lives all the time" Vanessa said.

"I understand. Maybe you just need to get some rest. I think you are really stressed out" Dylan suggested.

Vanessa nodded.

"Maybe" Vanessa said.

"I am going to let you go relax. Call Zac tomorrow and tell him how you feel" Dylan said.

"I will. Thanks Dylan. Love you" Vanessa said hugging Dylan.

"No problem. I love you too. Get some rest" Dylan said.

Dylan left the house. Vanessa picked Chris up and walked upstairs. She walked into Chris' room and placed him in his crib.

"Good night baby. I love you" Vanessa said.

Vanessa walked out of the room and went into the master bedroom. She got into her pajamas and got into bed. Vanessa fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. The next morning, Vanessa woke up and walked out of her bedroom and went to Chris' room and saw her son not in his crib. Her heart started racing. Vanessa ran downstairs and stopped when she saw a sight that made her eyes water. Zac was sitting on the couch holding Chris in his arms. She walked into the living room slowly. Zac looked up and smiled.

"How did you? When did you?" Vanessa started.

Zac placed Chris in his play pen and stood up and walked over to a stunned Vanessa. He wrapped his arms around his fiancée and kissed her head softly.

"Hey, it's okay" Zac said rubbing her back soothingly.

"What are you doing here?" Vanessa asked as tears ran down her cheeks.

Zac put his finger under Vanessa's chin and raised it so she was looking at him.

"I wanted to talk to you about this in person because I think we need to talk about it" Zac said.

"What about filming?" Vanessa asked.

"I have the weekend off" Zac said.

Zac motioned for her to sit on the couch. Vanessa sat next to Zac and looked at him.

"I never meant to hurt you like I have been. But, this is my job babe. My source of income. Would I want to be here with you and Chris every day? Yes I would. I hate not sleeping in the same bed and I hate not seeing my family-" Zac stopped when Vanessa started talking.

"Zac" Vanessa said.

"No, let me finish. When I was told I would be in Canada for three months, I knew it was going to be hard for us. But, I also knew that it would make us stronger than we already are. I know that it's hard being away from me because of Chris. I know it is babe. Don't think that I don't know, because I do" Zac said.

"Can I talk now?" Vanessa asked.

Zac nodded.

"It's hard for me to take care of Chris by myself. Especially because he's a newborn. I want him to have both parents around. Not just one or one that is here and there" Vanessa said.

"So what do you want me to do Van?" Zac asked.

"I don't know. I wish I didn't get pregnant. It's my fault that we are fighting about this" Vanessa said getting up and walking upstairs and closing the bedroom door behind her.

Zac sighed. He looked down at his son and smiled.

"Everything's okay bud. Don't worry. Daddy is going to fix this" Zac said kissing his son's head.

Zac got up and walked upstairs. He went to the bedroom door that was still closed and knocked.

"Vanessa, can I talk to you?" Zac asked.

There was silence. Zac turned the doorknob, which was unlocked and walked into the room slowly. Vanessa was lying on the bed, crying her eyes out. Zac walked over to the bed and sat on the edge.

"Can we talk about this?" Zac asked.

"What is there to talk about?" Vanessa asked.

Zac sighed and put his hands on his face.

"Van, I'm trying to figure out what I need to do. You aren't telling me what I should do" Zac said.

"Why do I need to tell you what to do? You are twenty six years old Zac" Vanessa said.

"Never mind! I tried to help resolve it. I tried" Zac said closing the door.

Zac walked downstairs and went into the living room. He carefully picked Chris up and moved his playpen into his office. Zac placed Chris into the play pen and watched him fall asleep. He then went to his computer and started working on his emails. Zac sighed. He didn't want to fight with Vanessa. That's not what he came to LA to do. He wanted to be with his son and see his fiancée because he loved them. Zac decided to give Vanessa her space and when she wanted to talk, she knew that she could come to him. Two hours later, Zac heard a knock at his office door. He looked up.

"Come in" Zac said.

Vanessa walked into the office and sat down. Zac saw tearstains on Vanessa's cheeks and her eyes were bloodshot red.

"I'm sorry for yelling at you" Vanessa said quietly.

"It's my fault Van. I shouldn't have brought it up" Zac said.

"I know that it's hard for you Zac. I just wanted you to hear me out on how I felt" Vanessa said.

Zac nodded.

"I understand. I don't want to fight with you" Zac said.

Vanessa had tears running down her face.

"Come here" Zac said.

Vanessa walked over to Zac and sat on his lap. Zac kissed Vanessa's cheek.

"I promise that when this movie is over, I will be home more" Zac said.

"Okay" Vanessa said wiping her eyes.

Zac wiped a tear that was running down Vanessa's cheek.

"I love you" Zac said.

"I love you too" Vanessa said.

Zac leaned in and kissed Vanessa's lips. The rest of the day, the couple relaxed around the house and took care of their son.


End file.
